UK STARTUP IS TURNING COFFEE INTO FUEL

Coffee chains make a lot of waste, from disposable takeaway cups to the used grounds that are sent to rot in landfills.

The world consumes around 2 billion cups of coffee a day, producing 6 million tons of used grounds annually, according to a study published in 2011. When they go to the landfill, the decomposing grounds release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

Bio-bean is turning 7,000 tons of those grounds annually into biofuels. The company has shifted its attention to solid fuels for household and industrial use. The fuels release greenhouse gases, but if they replace other carbon-based fuels, the company evaluates that the recycling procedure reduces emissions by 80% compared with sending the grounds to landfill.

George May, chief commercial officer and director of Bio-bean, said that the company managed to succeed with its innovation. People may recycle one or 10 tons of coffee, but the company recycled over 20,000 tons in their lifetime.”

Used coffee grounds are removed from any dangerous substances decontaminated and then passed through a dryer and a further screening process. They are finally processed into products such as biomass pellets and home fire logs. Bio-bean also makes real flavor extract from coffee grounds through a different method.

The pellets can be used for commercial heat greenhouses, to industrial power boilers or to dry cereal crops. George May also said that coffee is highly calorific and lends itself to being a fantastic fuel. The pellets burn about 20% hotter, and 20% longer than wood logs do.

Jenny Jones, a professor in sustainable energy at the University of Leeds, stated that recycled coffee grounds have potential as a fuel. But she also added that the overall carbon saving needs to be evaluated and compared with other options for dealing with coffee ground waste, such as incineration, or turning it into mulch for plants.

Jones also says that coffee grounds, like most biomass residues, are higher in sulfur and nitrogen than most woods, which emit harmful gases such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides when burned.

According to Bio-bean, their commercial biomass pellets are certified by the UK’s Sustainable Fuel Register, while their coffee logs have “lower particulate emissions than most wood logs.”