Powered by coffee - 6th July 2020

A creative biotech company is making fuel from our leftover cappuccinos.

Every day, people in the UK drink 95 million cups of coffee. Afterwards, the coffee grounds are thrown away and end up in rubbish dumps. These remains slowly decompose, which creates harmful gases. These gases contribute to climate change.

However, Bio-bean has solved the problem. The UK-based business collects coffee grounds and recycles them into a new fuel. For the past seven years, Bio-bean has been collecting coffee from companies like Costa Coffee and those in Stansted Airport and train stations.

The recycling process involves cleaning the coffee, drying it to make sure any paper or plastic is removed. It is then pressed into small pellets which can be burned as a fuel. Many companies have already been using it for their heating systems around the UK.

The recycled material is drier than normal wood, so it releases fewer harmful gases. Although the recycled fuel does produce some polluting gases, it gives off 80% less than it would as rubbish.

While many coffee shops have stopped serving recently, Bio-bean has kept going. It has been collecting and recycling from more different sources. Because of its success, the company plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Europe. They are developing new products for the biofuel industry.