Coffee to biodiesel research moves forwards

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati, US are continuing their look at adding a second energising string to the bow of coffee beans.

It has been estimated there is over one million tonnes of waste coffee grounds in the US alone and they could potentially be used as a feedstock within the biofuels industry.

The research team has been gathering grounds from an on-campus coffee shop since 2010 and have posted oil content results of between 8% and 19%, with biodiesel made from that meeting the ASTM International D6751 standard.

The team is believed to now be focusing on improving the purification efficiency of the process.