A deep eutectic solvent-based circular bioeconomy framework for valorizing Suriname’s rice husk waste: A review and perspective

• Advances in the use of DESs as eco-friendly pretreatment media to fractionate RH into high-value products. • Mechanistic insights on DESs-Biomass interactions. • Circular bioeconomy framework for Suriname biorefinery was discussed. • Techno-economic feasibility of RH valorization to biofuel/bioproducts was analyzed. Suriname’s rice industry generates an estimated 50–60 × 10³ t yr⁻¹ of rice husk (RH), much of which is still openly burned or low-value disposed, contributing to avoidable emissions and underutilization of a lignocellulosic resource. Turning this stream into fuels, materials, and bio-based chemicals requires pretreatment routes that are both selective and scalable in a small, rice-producing economy. This review consolidates recent advances on deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as environmentally benign pretreatment media for fractionating RH into higher-value products—bioethanol, biohydrogen, biogas, biochar, silica, and phenolic compounds. DESs provide tunable hydrogen-bond networks, low volatility, and compatibility with mild conditions, enabling reported lignin removal, cellulose retention, and up to threefold increases in enzymatic saccharification over untreated biomass. Based on published techno-economic assessments and regional market data, this review outlines key cost drivers, market opportunities, and scale-up barriers for Suriname—notably viscosity-driven mass-transfer limits and the energy demand of solvent recovery. The discussion extends to policy implications for a DES-based circular bioeconomy and identifies critical research gaps, including life-cycle assessment (LCA) coverage, pilot-scale validation, and solvent stability over multiple reuse cycles. Overall, this article offers a review and perspective to guide researchers, industry, and policymakers toward viable DES-enabled RH valorization pathways for Suriname and comparable agro-waste contexts.