Rice straw is one of the natural residues of rice crop or paddy material and is an organic material. Globally, rice or paddy straw is the third largest agricultural residue after sugarcane bagasse and maize straw. Approximately 80% rice is produced by Southeast Asian countries in the world. So, every year, large quantity of paddy or rice straw produced as a by-product. Open-field burning is practiced in most of countries as well as in India, because Farmers needs immediate vacant fields for sowing of next crop and no other alternatives of rice straw. Rice straw an organic material is available in bulk quantities to most of the farmers. At crop maturity, about 40 % of the nitrogen (N), 80 to 85 % of the potassium (K), 30 to 35 % of the phosphorus (P), and 40 to 50 % of the sulphur (S) remains in rice plant parts. Generally, rice straw burned in situ or removed form field, spread or piled in field, or incorporated in the soil. The open field burning of residue contributes to harmful greenhouse gases such as NO2, SO2, N2O, CH4, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and hydrocarbon in atmosphere. The crucial purpose of this paper is to offer environment friendly alternatives to rice straw instead of open field burning such as combustion material, power generation, mushroom cultivation, bedding material for cattle, nutrition in the soil, pellet making, bio-ethanol, bio-gas, bio-char, cardboard and composite board, acoustic material, packaging materials, 3D objects, cement bricks, production of bio-composite and handmade paper.
Singh et al. (2025) studied this question.