Rice Instead of Plastic: Volkswagen Begins Making Cars from Waste

The company Seat has announced the start of car production using a new eco-friendly material — orizite, which is made from recycled rice husk.

Orizite was used in the production of double-floor supports for the Seat Arona model. By adding 15% of this material, the weight of the part was reduced by 5.8%, which positively affected the overall efficiency of the vehicle.

"Currently, each Seat Arona car produced in the factory uses about 60 grams of rice husk. As a result, up to 5 tons of rice plantation waste in the Ebro River delta, located in a biosphere reserve in eastern Spain, are processed annually," shared Gerard Suriol, a representative from Seat's Technical Center interior design department.

In addition to reducing weight, orizite allowed the production costs of the corresponding components to decrease by 2%.

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Orizite – is an innovative eco-material based on rice husk, which is beginning to be used in the automotive industry. It is made from rice production waste (husk, which is usually burned or discarded). It is mixed with polymers to create a strong and lightweight composite material. An alternative to plastic, it reduces dependence on petroleum products.

In cars: interior elements (panels, armrests), battery cases. Volkswagen is already testing orizite in ID. Buzz and ID.7 models – it is used for battery mounts and interior elements.