Turning rice husk waste into sustainable and profitable solutions in Ghana 

Collaborating with Wart Mandersloot, TCL looked into sustainable and innovative solutions where they sought to turn this rice husk waste into valuable resources. Wart explains: “Currently, TCL spends huge sums of cedis every month to get a bulldozer to level the husk into surrounding lands.” and like many rice mills in Ghana, TCL resorted to environmentally harmful practices such as open-air burning of the husk. Another challenge faced by the company is drying. The company does not have enough capacity in terms of space and infrastructure for drying of paddy. This leads to quality issues and reduces efficiency and income. Thirdly, TCL is faced with the challenge of expensive and unreliable power supply. TCL relies solely on national grid for our operations. This has a huge burden on the company’s already stressed purse.  

Re-use of waste material 

Upon arrival Wart first familiarised himself with the ongoing practices at both the rice mill and on the land where he witnessed the process of sun drying the rice paddy by the farmers. Wart: “Together we explored various ways in which the rice husk can be re-used in the factory itself and for commercial purposes such as carbonization and palletization.” Loose carbonized husk finds applications in soil improvement, fertilizers, and when pressed into briquettes it can be used as fuel for bakeries and breweries for example. However, the feasibility of generating electrical power from husk remains a challenge due to economic constraints (scale) and water availability. The drying capacity can be increased, either by installing a new large concrete slab at the new factory or by installing a second mechanical dryer. These options are already under consideration by TCL and would be a next step for TCL to grow the business.  

Follow up  

“During this trip and my previous visit to Ghana, I’ve visited 4 rice factories in Ghana”, adds Wart. “They all have the same problem with their rice husk waste and what to do with it. By Pelletizing the husk into rods and use these rods as alternative for wood in open air cooking fires and/ by carbonizing the rods and use the carbonized product as alternative for heating instead of the locally produced wood-charcoal, would help in slowing down further deforestation of these areas of the Sahel. This is an approach suitable for all Ghana small to medium rice factories.”   

TCL shows how using rice husk waste can help both the environment and the economy. They’re turning waste into something valuable, which helps the community and the planet. This approach sets a good example for others and contributes to a more sustainable future.