Straw Bale Construction

On July 19, 2002, the California Air Resources Board hosted Rice Straw Expo 2002 in Sacramento. Vendors displayed new products, builders and architects conducted discussion panels, and government agencies promoting the beneficial use of agricultural byproducts were present.

Straw has been used in building projects throughout the centuries, bundled for use in thatched roofs, or mixed with clay in adobe bricks. The straw construction products of today are primarily straw bales and fabricated strawboard panels.

California, which produces 2 million tons of rice straw per year, is focusing on alternatives to burning this agricultural "waste." Due to air quality concerns, the State in the mid-1990s implemented restrictions on the amount of rice straw that can be burned. Californians are aggressively pursuing feasible alternatives to burning.

Below are some current uses for rice straw:

• Incorporation as a soil amendment. This practice can increase rice foliar disease.
• Cattle feed, marketable only if the straw meets certain minimum protein and other nutritional requirements.
• Mulch for erosion control in reforestation and slope stabilization projects.
• Potential for biogas (methane and CO2) production as a feasible energy source (in testing phase).
• Straw bales and fabricated strawboard panels are new construction products.

Rice Straw Bale Construction
Buildings and structures constructed with tightly-compressed rice straw bales are reinforced with rebar during the construction process. The bales are covered with a plaster or stucco coating to create durable, strong, extremely well-insulated and energy-efficient buildings. 

Test results and monitoring indicate this straw bale construction technique stands up well to fire, moisture, wind, and earthquakes. With their thick walls and natural undulations of the underlying straw material, these buildings are as handsome as the adobe buildings of the southwest.

Strawboard Panels 
Manufacturers in the Sacramento Valley rice growing areas have developed rice straw particleboard and medium-density fiberboard (MDF) for use in furniture, flooring, cabinetry, door face and core, and molding construction. This material can be made up to 15 percent lighter than wood-based MDF, but it is just as strong and durable. 

Other companies are using straw to produce extruded board and panel products. These products contain no formaldehyde, with no off-gassing of potentially harmful chemicals.

In other parts of California and the nation, agricultural waste from wheat and other grain products are being used to manufacture straw bales and board.

Want to learn more? See these sources for more information:

www.arb.ca.gov/smp/rice/expo/expo.htm. Visit the Rice Straw Expo 2002 Web site for more information about the July 19 expo.

www.strawbuilding.org/. The California Straw Building Association is a nonprofit organization whose members are architects, engineers, builders, and people interested in straw building. Their mission is to "...further the practice of straw building by exchanging current information and practical experience, promoting and conducting research and testing, and making that body of knowledge available to working professionals and the public at large." 

Check out their Web site for facts about straw building, guidelines, and links to other related sites.

www.ricestrawmarket.org/. The Rice Straw Market is for buyers and sellers of California rice straw and rice straw products. The market serves suppliers, end-users, straw product manufacturers, exporters, custom balers, transporters, and consultants.

www.strawhomes.com/. Since 1993, The Last Straw quarterly journal has been sharing news and developments from around the world about straw-bale construction and natural building.

www.ciwmb.ca.gov/rcp/ The Recycled Content Product (RCP) Directory is an online searchable directory listing thousands of recycled products as well as manufacturers, distributors, and reprocessors.

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Last updated: December 30, 2008