GLOBAL GRAND CHALLENGE
HARNESSING THE POWER OF COFFEE WASTE
We think nothing of making our morning coffee or popping out to buy one, but waste from coffee production is a universal problem. Each year 9.5bn kilograms of coffee is produced worldwide, and every kilogram of instant coffee generates roughly two kilograms of liquid waste. This is a particular issue in developing countries where the infrastructure does not always exist to process this waste and the result is contamination of water courses.
However, research by Dr Claudio Avignine-Rossa, Reader in Systems Microbiology, has discovered a pioneering technique to turn this waste into electricity.
He has discovered that the community of microbes found in a wastewater treatment plant could hold the key to degrading coffee waste. The microbes eat the waste, producing energy which can be captured as a small electric current within a fuel cell – enough to light a bulb. If untreated and released into the environment, the waste contaminates water streams and soil.
“What we have found can help limit the ”
The new device is simple and cheap enough that it can be built and installed on small, family-owned coffee farms in developing countries such as Colombia, the world’s third largest coffee producer. A co-operative of Colombian coffee farmers has already expressed an interest in using the devices.
If their fuel cells are used successfully in Colombia, the researchers hope to engage with large coffee companies in Europe to adopt the same approach to treating their waste.
“Coffee is enjoyed by millions of people across the world, many of whom are not aware of the damaging environmental impact it can have,” said Dr Avignine-Rossa. “What we have found can help limit the impact coffee waste has on the environment and turn it into something useful which can help transform the lives of farmers.”
impact coffee waste has on the environment and turn it into something useful which can help transform the lives of farmers. Dr Avignine-Rossa
The research has earned Dr Avignine-Rossa the prestigious 2018 Newton Prize, which recognises pioneering projects in developing countries. He and his collaborator, Dr Lina Agudelo of the University of Antioquia in Colombia, will also receive up to £200,000 to continue their work in this field.
surrey.ac.uk/subjects/biosciences-and-medicine
Coffee farmers in Colombia
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Forever Surrey 2019
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