Abstract <p>Rice is one of the most significant staple crops globally. However, the increasing production of rice due to growing global demand has led to the accumulation of rice straw, which poses environmental challenges when improperly managed, such as through open burning. However, environmental impact of this open burning can be reduced by utilizing rice straw for the production of biofuels, bio-based materials and other eco-friendly products through green synthesis pathways. This necessitates sustainable management practices for the utilization of rice straw. Rice straw has gained more attention for the production of different materials because of its lignocellulosic properties, which include lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, and silica. These materials have applications in different fields such as pharmaceuticals, industries, and biomedicine. In this regard, this review provides information on the efficient utilization of rice straw by following green synthesis pathways. This review explains rice straw valorization, challenges in rice straw utilization, advancements in rice straw valorization techniques, circular economy concept, and different eco-friendly methods to utilize rice straw for the production of biogas, biofuels, and other green products.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>