Every day, more than 2 billion cups of
coffee are consumed around the world, and the basic material for making coffee
is disposed of in landfill, which is estimated at around 6 million tons
annually.
This is definitely harmful to the
environment, as the decomposing coffee waste releases methane into the
atmosphere, which is the second most prevalent gas in greenhouses and the cause
of global warming with more than 86 times that of carbon dioxide.
In this article, we will show you five ways
to reuse coffee waste:
1. Biofuels
If you leave your coffee cup for a while,
you will notice the appearance of a shiny layer on which this layer appears,
which is a group of oils in the coffee beans, of course, this amount of oils is
not all the oils in the coffee, but large amounts of these oils are disposed of
during the coffee brewing process. These natural oils can also be extracted
from coffee and used as a biofuel, as in a recent experiment in the USA (US chain
Dunkin 'Donuts) developed a subsidized and fully functional small home based on
biofuels from coffee.
As these natural oils found in coffee are
mixed with alcohol and subjected to a chemical reaction known as the
transesterification process. The result of this process is biodiesel consisting
of 80% of coffee and 20% of alcohol, in addition to glycerin as a by-product of
this process. Biodiesel is also cleaned and purified and used as a final
product through its use to generate electricity.
2. Capturing greenhouse gases
Instead of sending coffee to landfill
sites, which in turn analyze the coffee and produce methane for the atmosphere,
scientists have found a method that can store carbon dioxide and methane from
the coffee waste.
A research published in the Institute of
Physics’ Nanotechnology journal shows that heating coffee grounds with
potassium hydroxide produces a substance that can store methane gas. This
material from coffee processing can store more than 7% by weight methane gas
and is stable at normal room temperature.
3. Use it as a natural fertilizer
One of the best ways to recycle coffee is
to use it as a fertilizer, and many public cafes offer free coffee residues for
users to reuse and recycle as a natural fertilizer for gardens.
It should be noted that recent studies show
that to compost coffee residues, it is necessary to leave them for at least 98
days before applying them to plants. Because coffee contains high levels of
caffeine, chlorogenic acid, and phytotoxic tannins.
4. In industries as a basic material
Coffee is now used as a building material
used in the manufacture of furniture. Re-Work, which produced Curface:
pronounces like Surface, is a composite material made from used coffee scraps
and recycled plastic.
5. Children's games (Lego blocks)
The Japanese company (Color Tokyo)
manufactured brick-like Lego bricks made of sawdust, cedar wood, tea leaves,
and coffee grounds. Unfortunately, these Lego blocks are only available in
certain colors and are somewhat faded, and a set of 50 pieces costs $ 30.
6. Clean hair
In addition, the fact that coffee is rich
in natural compounds, oils, potassium and nitrogen, coffee contains a strong
composition that can make it a substitute for various products at home!
It can be used to clean and treat hair from
the chemicals that make it weak. Especially for people who use hair styling
