Researchers Demonstrate Remarkable Potential of Old Coffee Grounds in Cleaning Up Toxins Contaminating Waterways

A study by the Federal Technological University of Paraná in Brazil has found that coffee grounds can absorb 70% of bentazone, an herbicide used on common crops like beans and potatoes. Bentazone is harmful to ecosystems and human health, increasing the risk of anemia and thyroid dysfunction. Researchers heated coffee grounds to create an ash and mixed it with chemicals to create a bentazone-absorbing sponge. The sponge removed 70% of bentazone from water samples and allowed sensitive onion plants to grow in the cleaned-up water almost as well as in pure water.

Bentazone has been polluting waters worldwide for years at unsafe levels, and using nearly 20 million tons of coffee grounds annually to clean it up would be a game-changer. Additionally, sneaker company Rens is giving recycled coffee grounds a second life in waterproof shoes, and researchers have found that used coffee grounds can be repurposed into household items like plant pots using 3D printing. More research is needed to determine how coffee grounds could be used on farms to cut pollution, but the power to create change is right under our noses.

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