Students from UC Riverside recently won two awards at an international design competition for a building material composed of rice husks. The material they created is a less costly, more environmentally friendly and termite resistant alternative to particle board.
Traditional particle board is made by mixing small wood chips with some type of synthetic resin. These ingredients are then pressed together and extruded into the desired size and shape.
The student’s design uses rice husks, which contain termite-resistant silica, instead of wood chips. Initially, they used epoxy (a not-so-environmentally-friendly material) to bind the ingredients together. Now, the students are focused on using tannin, a compound naturally found in plants, and casein, a protein found in nonfat dry milk.
Initial results show that the boards made with tannin to be strong enough but not water resistant. The casein boards have proven to be water resistant but lack in strength. They are now experimenting with adding coatings or other materials to the mixture.
The main focus on this project is to create a building material for relief structures in the Philippines. They currently use coconut wood, bamboo and plywood, which are susceptible to termite damage. The Philippines is one of the world’s largest rice producers and if the students can perfect a way to use the waste products of rice, this will be a win-win situation for all!
