**4. Conclusions**

Pellets from residues from rice harvest (i.e., straw and husk) were produced and their main properties were evaluated. Rice straw pellets were initially produced at lab scale at varying operational conditions (i.e., load compression and wt % of feeding moisture content) to evaluate their suitability for palletization without the use of binders. Afterwards, pellets from rice straw and husk pellets were commercially produced without the use of a binder.

All the samples were characterized in terms of their main physical (density, dimension, porosity), physico-chemical (proximate and ultimate analysis, higher heating value), and structural properties. In addition, axial and diametral compression tests and durability tests were used to assess their mechanical performance. All the analyzed properties were compared with the established quality standards for non-woody pellets.

In summary, rice straw pellets presented suitable properties for their use as pelletized fuels in the context of the LIFE LIBERNITRATE project. Rice husk pellets fell out of the standards in several tests such as recommended size or durability and their pre-treatment might be necessary for their use as fuels.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, methodology, writing draft, formal analysis C.M. and A.L. writing-review and editing, B.B., R.B. supervision, funding acquisition, E.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This work was funded through the LIFE LIBERNITRATE project (LIFE16 ENV/ES/000419).

**Acknowledgments:** Beatrice Ghinello, Matteo Toscanini and Alice Gabuti are acknowledged in the framework of their thesis work.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
