The global rice husk ash market is projected to reach USD 2.

54 billion by 2021, at a
CAGR of 5.4% from 2016 to 2021. Rice husk ash (RHA) is a natural byproduct
recovered from paddy rice after the processing of rice husk. The husk is composed
of approximately 50% cellulose, 30% lignin, and 20% silica. It is incinerated by
controlled thermal decomposition converting waste material into ash which consists
of amorphous silica (between 89-95%). Under controlled thermal decomposition, this
ash becomes a highly pozzolanic material with very high surface (w.r.t. to its weight).

Market Dynamics

Drivers

• Low manufacturing and raw material cost

• Processing RHA to produce high content of green silica (high purity silica)

Restraints

• Using RHA with cement influences water/cement ratio and increases the
demand for water as RHA is finer than cement
• Limited awareness about RHA

Opportunities

• Increasing use of rice husk ash instead of silica fume and fly ash in the
cement and construction industry
• High Demand for RHA in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East

Challenges

• Manufacturing is completely dependent on the production of rice paddy

Growth in the building and construction drives the global rice husk ash market
RHA, produced after controlled combustion of rice husk possess high pozzolanic
property and reactivity, due to which it is considered a suitable cementing material in
construction industry, either as a substitute for cement or as an admixture. As an
admixture, RHA is used to produce high strength concrete, while substituting cement
by RHA produces low cost building blocks. RHA also helps industry players to gain
carbon credits as it limits the emission of greenhouse gases. Additionally, RHA is
used for producing light weight construction material as RHA addition makes
concrete lighter.

The objectives of this study are:

• To define, describe, and forecast the global rice husk ash market based on
silica content, application, and region
• To strategically analyze micromarkets with respect to individual growth trends,
future prospects, and contribution to the total market
• To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders and the
competitive landscape of the market
 • To forecast the market size in terms of value with respect to main regions
(along with countries), namely, Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, Middle
East & Africa, and South America
• To strategically profile key players and comprehensively analyze their core
competencies
• To analyze competitive developments, such as joint ventures, mergers &
acquisitions, new product developments, and research & development
activities in the global rice husk ash market

The years considered for the study are:

• Base Year – 2015

• Estimated Year – 2016
• Projected Year – 2021
• Forecast Period – 2016 to 2021
• For company profiles in the report, 2015 has been considered as the base
year. In certain cases, wherein information is unavailable for the base year,
the years prior to it have been considered.

Research Methodology
The research methodology used to estimate and forecast the global rice husk ash
market began with capturing data on key vendor revenues through secondary
sources, such as Hoovers, Bloomberg, Chemical Weekly, Factiva, and various other
government and private websites. The vendor offerings have also been taken into
consideration to determine the market segmentation. After arriving at the overall
market size, the total market was split into several segments and subsegments,
which were later verified through primary research by conducting extensive
interviews with key personnel, such as CEOs, VPs, directors, and executives. Data
triangulation and market breakdown procedures were employed to complete the
overall market engineering process and arrive at the exact statistics for all segments
and subsegments of the market. The breakdown of profiles of primaries is depicted
in the figure below.
To know about the assumptions considered for the study, download the pdf
brochure
The global rice husk ash market has a diversified ecosystem of upstream players,
including raw material suppliers, along with downstream stakeholders, vendors, end
users, and government organizations. Companies operating in the global rice husk
ash market include Guru Metachem Pvt. Ltd. (India), Yihai Kerry Investments Co.,
Ltd. (China), Usher Agro Ltd. (India), Jasoriya Rice Mill (India), and Rescon (India)
Pvt. Ltd., among others.

Target Audience

• Rice Husk Ash Manufacturers

• Rice Husk Ash Traders, Suppliers, and Distributors
• Government and Research Organizations
• Associations and Industrial Bodies
• Raw Material Suppliers and Distributors
• Industry Associations

“This study answers several questions for the stakeholders, primarily the market
segments which they need to focus upon during the next two to five years so that
they may prioritize their efforts and investments accordingly.”

Scope of the report:

This research report categorizes the global rice husk ash market based on
application, silica content, and region.

On the basis of silica content

• Silica Content between 80-84%

 • Silica Content between 85-89%
• Silica Content between 90-94%
• Silica Content between more than or equal to 95%

On the basis of application:

• Building & Construction

• Steel Industry
• Silica
• Ceramics & Refractory
• Rubber
• Others
o Paints
o Cosmetics
o Agrochemicals
o Flame Retardants

On the basis of region:

• Asia-Pacific
• North America
• Europe
• Middle East & Africa
• South America

The following customization options are available for the report:

With the given market data, MarketsandMarkets offers customizations as per the
company’s specific needs. The following customization options are available for the
report:

Product Analysis

• Product matrix that gives a detailed comparison of the product portfolio of

each company

Regional Analysis

• Further breakdown of a region with respect to a particular country

Company Information

• Detailed analysis and profiles of additional market players (up to five)

The global rice husk ash market is projected to reach USD 2.54 billion by 2021, at a
CAGR of 5.4% from 2016 to 2021. The increasing use of rice husk ash in place of
silica fume and fly ash in the cement and construction industries, and the high
demand of RHA in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa regions are some of the
key opportunities for the rice husk ash industry.
By application, the building & construction segment is estimated to account for the
largest share of the global rice husk ash market during the forecast period. The
growth of this segment is anticipated to be driven by the increased construction
activities in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa regions. The construction
industry has a very positive outlook in the Asia-Pacific region supported by the
increasing number of construction projects in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and
South Korea.
On the basis of silica content, the 85-89% silica content segment dominated the rice
husk ash market in 2015. This ash (85-89%), used to generate energy in power
plants, is the most common form of rice husk ash obtained after the burning of rice
husk at 600 to 700 degree Celsius. However, the 90-94% segment is projected to
grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.
Asia-Pacific accounted for the largest share of the global rice husk ash market in
2015. This large share has been supported by the region’s strengthening economic
conditions, continuous improvement in government budgets, and the positive
demographic outlooks, such as increasing population and rising per capita income.
Asia-Pacific is witnessing an increase in infrastructure projects, which in turn
generates demand for building & construction chemicals, such as RHA.
The RHA market in the Middle East & Africa region is projected to grow at the
highest CAGR between 2016 and 2021. Over the past years, owing to its economic
development, heavy investments have been made in the region’s infrastructure
sector. The construction industry in the Middle East & Africa region is also expected
to witness substantial investments in the coming years due to the various
infrastructure development projects coming up in varied sectors, such as energy,
chemical, and healthcare, among others. These developments are expected to
accelerate the demand for RHA in the region in the coming years.
Buliding & Construction

RHA, produced after controlled combustion of rice husk possess high pozzolanic
property and reactivity, due to which it is considered a suitable cementing material in
construction industry, either as a substitute for cement or as an admixture. As an
admixture, RHA is used to produce high strength concrete, while substituting cement
by RHA produces low cost building blocks. RHA also helps industry players to gain
carbon credits as it limits the emission of greenhouse gases. Additionally, RHA is
used for producing light weight construction material as RHA addition makes
concrete lighter.

Silica

In RHA, a large amount of silica is found and its extraction is economically viable
which makes it an ideal source for silica. In food industry, silica is used as an anti-
cracking agent, silica is also used in cosmetics processing. Additionally, demand
from construction industry for fine amorphous silica for producing high performance
cementing materials for marine, nuclear power plants, and bridges has been
positively influencing demand for RHA over the years.

Steel Industry

With its fine insulating properties having high melting point and porosity, low thermal
conductivity and bulk density, RHA is widely used in steel industry to produce high
quality steel. It is used during casting process of metals to support slow cooling
process with its fine insulating property. It is also used for coating molten metals in
steel industry.
The major factor inhibiting the growth of the rice husk ash market is the complete
dependence on production of rice paddy to manufacture rice husk ash. Key players
in the rice husk ash market include Guru Metachem Pvt. Ltd. (India), Yihai Kerry
Investments Co., Ltd. (China), Usher Agro Ltd. (India), Jasoriya Rice Mill (India), and
Rescon (India) Pvt. Ltd., among others.
Usher Eco Power Limited (India), a subsidiary of Usher Agro, is one of the leading
players in the RHA market. It has started the development of a new rice husk-based
biomass power plant of 18MW capacity in Uttar Pradesh, India. The company is
focusing on setting up a silica extraction facility which will use rice husk ash
generated from the aforementioned plant. Further, under an agreement, the end
product from the facility (i.e. RH silica) will be supplied to the Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Company (U.S.). This development is expected to help strengthen Usher
Agro’s foothold in the RHA market.