Abstract

Rice husks or hulls is a byproduct of rice milling. Generally, rice husks are used as fuel through combustion, causing harmful environmental impacts. On the other hand, this combustion produces rice husk ash that contains a large amount of amorphous SiO2 (silica), approximately 85-99%. Over the past two decades, rice husk ash has been utilized in various industrial fields. However, literatures currently available on the application of rice husk silica in the biomedical field is still scarce. This paper critically reviews the silica extraction process from rice husks and discusses the biomedical applications that have been studied (drug delivery, bone regeneration, wound healing). The information presented in this paper concludes that rice husk has potential as an alternative source of conventional silica for biomedical and dental materials.

Keywords: rice husk, silica, SiO2, biomedical