Renewable energy from rice husks

• The CAMIL Itaqui biomass electricity generation project is located at a rice mill in Brazil. It uses rice husks to generate electricity.
• Before the project, 81% of the mill waste was disposed of through landfill. Today, 93% of the waste is burned to generate renewable energy, displacing the use of polluting diesel fuel. As well as powering the mill, the project also provides renewable power to its neighbours.
• The project also avoids emissions of methane, a highly damaging greenhouse gas that causes climate change. By reducing the amount of rice husks rotting in a landfill, this project prevents those emissions.
• The project reduces greenhouse gas emissions by around 57,000 tonnes per year, which is enough to offset the domestic emissions of around 10,000 UK households or a town the size of Dorchester in England.
• According to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, biomass energy projects- including those that use agricultural waste, could provide the UK with up to 10-15% of its total energy supply, which would make a major contribution to helping the UK reach its target of reducing emissions 50% by 2050.
• Other benefits include increases in employment in the area where the plant is located.