In 2020, Seat launched the Oryzite project, which includes the use of natural and renewable materials from rice husks in car production. After several years of research, its implementation began, and the first car in the production of which these materials will be used is the Arona.

Seat is trying to reduce the use of polypropylene and replace it with renewable materials, and Oryzite seems like an ideal option. This product is created as a by-product of rice husks and is used in the manufacture of parts of the luggage compartment. It should be noted that the use of Oryzite reduces the weight of the parts (5.8%) and production costs (2%).

According to Gerard Suriol, interior design engineer at SEAT, the Arona contains around 60 grams of rice husks, which is 5 tons per year. This by-product comes from the rice fields of the Örebro Delta, a biosphere reserve in eastern Spain.

“We’ve successfully managed to incorporate this renewable material and encourage the circular economy, while reducing the use of petroleum-based products,” said Suriolu.

Source: Seat