Continuous-Flow Rice Husk Gasification for Small-Scale Bakery Operations

The search for sustainable and affordable energy is critical for small-scale industries like bakeries in agricultural countries like the Philippines. Valorizing rice husk into a sustainable energy source addresses waste management challenges in rural areas while contributing to energy security by using rice husk as a fuel for baking. While biomass gasification is known, an integrated techno-economic performance of continuous-flow rice husk gasifiers specifically designed for standard bakery rack ovens is yet to be explored. This study focused on the technical and economic viability of continuous-flow rice husk gasifier for bakery oven applications. The research aimed to design and fabricate the system, evaluate its performance against an LPG-fired oven, and perform cost analysis. The novelty lies in the holistic validation of a continuous-flow system for this specific application. This study proposes a comprehensive waste-to-energy pathway for rice husk waste in the Philippines, by designing and evaluating a continuous-flow rice husk gasifier system for bakery rack oven. The technical, economic product acceptability were evaluated. The technical viability of the designed continuous-flow rice husk gasifier for rack oven revealed a total of 34.31 mins baking time, with baking energy efficiency of 36.69%, rice husk consumption rate of 8.1kg/hr. Economically, the cost of operation of the continuous flow rice husk gasifier is PhP 70.46 thereby reducing the fuel cost by PhP 50.66 per hour. The system generated a total savings of PhP 72,955.09 per year and a payback period of 4.32 months. The study concludes that the continuous-flow rice husk gasifier is a technologically feasible and economically superior solution for small bakeries, successfully valorising agricultural waste into a valuable energy resource thereby contributing in mitigating agricultural wastes in the country.