University of Bath research looks deeper into biodiesel from coffee grinds

In the UK, new research from the University of Bath’s Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies shows that waste coffee grinds could be used to make biodiesel. Oil can be extracted from coffee grounds by soaking them in an organic solvent, before being chemically transformed into biodiesel via a process called “transesterification”. The study, recently published in the ACS Journal Energy & Fuels, looked at how the fuel properties varied depending on the type of coffee used. As part of the study, the researchers made biofuel from ground coffee produced in 20 different geographic regions, including caffeinated and decaffeinated forms, as well as Robusta and Arabica varieties.