A critical look at rice husk gasification in Cambodia: Technology and sustainability

In recent years, many Cambodian enterpriseshave installed rice husk gasifiersto substitute diesel in the electricity production to run rice mills machinery, or to provide electricity for villages.This study provides a critical look at rice husk gasification by assessing thesustainabilityof deploying this technologyin Cambodia, expressed through environmental,economic and social impacts, and evaluates if it can be applied in Vietnam. Results show that gasification technology worksin Cambodiaand contribute to the development of the rice-milling sector, however environmental issues are severe andshould be treated. We observethat increase in rice huskdemand also leadsto increase inpriceof rice husk, therefore new investors should consider theeffect of new rice husk market for their activities.Weconcludethat this technology wouldnotbe suitable for Vietnam and suggestsstudyingother alternative technologies to convert rice husk into energy,such as steamengine or steamturbine, gasifier stove, briquettingor co-firing