Could spent coffee grounds power your car? – BeanScene

A new study has transformed spent coffee grounds into raw material to produce biofuel that could power cars and heavy transport. 

Global coffee bean production stands at about 10 million tonnes per year, of which only a small percentage is actually consumed in brewed coffee. Spent coffee grounds often end up in landfill, but one research team has found a novel use for the waste. 

The study conducted at the Universistat Rovira i Virgilli (URV) found the oil from coffee grounds, which makes up about 15 per cent of the waste product, can be extracted and used as a raw material for biofuels, with the remainder of the spent grounds available for other purposes. 

The researchers’ found their process recovers as much as 90 per cent of oil that can be obtained by the laboratory gold- standard method. The team says their research provides a framework to produce far cleaner sources of oil through a more energy-efficient method of production. 

The study utilised every part of the coffee ground, “transforming a typically underused waste product” says Daniel Montane, researcher in the study. 

The research is part of efforts to help create a “circular economy” to keep products in use for as long as possible through reusing and remanufacturing.

The study also aims to provide more sustainable fuel solutions for harder to electrify sectors such as heavy transport. Researchers say the process is “reducing the environmental impact associated with its (waste products) accumulation”.