Could Rice Husks reinvent the home building?
If most people think of rice, they can dampen to introduce steaming dishes and not on the siding of their houses. However, a company based on Mississippi called Modern Mill changes the way builders, homeowners and architects think about sustainable materials.
Your surprising method: rice shells (sometimes referred to as “rice shells”) in a strong, waterproof, wood -like material called acre.
“When you think of rice, it grows into water,” said sales director Chandler Delinks. “The rice shell itself protects the rice grain from water, weather, pests, sunlight, mold and mildew. So it is incredibly resistant natural fiber.”
Weather in your inbox
From waste to resource
The innovation begins in the fields. The United States exports around 20 billion pounds of rice annually, and a large part of it comes from the Mississippi Delta and the neighboring countries. This means that mountains of rice students (the hard outer shell exhibited by each grain) remain.
(MORE: What is 'corn welding'?)))
“The rice hull is otherwise intended for the landfill,” said Delinks. “So for us it is really a fairly efficient process in which you are looking for one place. Therefore, we can take truck loads of this rice hull with us and then grind you at the beginning of our manufacturing process.”
While sustainability history attracts a lot of attention, Delinks discover that homeowners and building contractors quickly work more easily than traditional wood.
“It does not smell of a plastic. It has no really harmful dust. If you work with it, it does not damage your tools. And at the end of the day you can take a board and wipe a stain on a water base and just wipe it and it looks like a piece of mahogoni,” he said.
Shelf life is another sales argument. Acre is waterproof and makes it an attractive choice for coastal or moist climate zones.
“It is not a feed for termites and pests. It does not promote mold and mildew and mildewachism, no moisture absorbs.” Said Delinks. “We don't crack, we don't rot, we don't splinter. It can sit in the dirt. It can sit in the ground. It can be constant water contact, and it doesn't matter whether it is the coast of the lake or the lake.”
(MORE: How Termmittes stow on the water)))
Acre is also certified for the compliance of Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) in California of the few building materials that are approved for use in wild-fire-prone areas and fulfills the standards with high wind in Florida. It is therefore suitable for hurricinal zones.
This resistance extends to extremely cold and intensive sunlight, although Delinks emphasizes that builders have to follow guidelines for coatings and fastening elements.
Sustainability corresponds to the accessibility
Too often sustainability is the first to shorten a budget, delinks admitted. “To really influence our material, it must be accessible, and that's also a big driver for our company.”
(MORE: Now the perfect time for these house improvements is)))
With partnerships, which include companies such as Chipotle and Heineken, Acre is expanding to both commercial and housing markets. But for Delinks, what excites him the most, how the product answers two questions at once: how to reduce waste and how to build up smarter.
“I think what's going on for many people is like, oh wow, it looks like this and it will actually take forever, and all of this and it is sustainable and it is like the win-win situation.”
Weather.com Lead Editor Jenn Jordan Researched how weather and climate weave through our daily life, leave our routines forms and permanent effects on our communities.