Chemical Composition of Rice Hull and Morphological Properties of Rice Hull Fibers

The rice hull could be the one of the most abundant agricultural waste in Korea. Since the efficient utilization of agricultural waste or byproducts of food industry would be critical for the sustainable growth, this study conducted the investigation of the chemical composition and the morphological properties of rice hull and rice hull fiber. It was found that there was big difference between the outer surface and the inner surface in the chemical composition and the morphological properties. Expecially, the outer surface showed the rugged patterns in which most of silica of rice hull existed. Little or no silica was found in the inner surface and rice hull fiber. The average fiber length of rice hull fiber was 0.45mm which was shorter than that of hardwood fiber. Rice hull fiber showed a round long shape which is typical shape of non-wood fibers