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From waste to wow: Building with rice husks and cooking oil

Reducing waste and emissions with natural-building materials
From waste to wow: Building with rice husks and cooking oil
Rice husks, cooking oil as building materials

Building houses using sustainable materials is becoming increasingly common as people become more conscious of the impact their choices have on the environment. Two innovative approaches to sustainable construction are the use of rice waste and cooking oil to create building materials.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2018, the buildings and construction industry accounted for 39% of process and energy-related carbon emissions, with 11% attributed to the production of building materials.

Ricehouse, an Italian architectural firm, has developed a range of natural building materials made from rice waste, which is a byproduct of the rice industry. By using rice waste to create construction materials, Ricehouse can reduce waste and emissions from the production of building materials.

The natural building materials created by Ricehouse are made from a combination of rice husks, straw, and clay, which are mixed and formed into blocks that can be used in construction. These blocks are lightweight, durable, and provide good insulation, making them an ideal choice for sustainable construction.

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Cooking oil is another waste product that is being used to create sustainable building materials. Olioboard, a company based in the UK, has developed a process for turning used cooking oil into bricks that can be used in construction. The process involves mixing the cooking oil with a natural binder and compressing the mixture into brick-shaped molds.

The resulting cooking oil bricks are lightweight, durable, and have good insulation properties. They are also cheaper to produce than traditional building materials, which can help to reduce the overall cost of construction. In addition, they have a unique aesthetic appeal, with a warm, earthy tone that gives buildings a natural, organic feel.

Using rice waste and cooking oil for construction has several environmental benefits. Both waste products are abundant and would otherwise be disposed of in ways that can have negative environmental impacts. By using them to create building materials, we can reduce waste and emissions from the production of traditional materials such as bricks and cement.

Overall, the use of sustainable materials such as those made from rice waste and cooking oil is an exciting development in the construction industry. As more companies and individuals embrace sustainable construction practices, we can look forward to a future in which buildings are not just functional, but also beautiful, affordable, and environmentally friendly.

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