Starbucks’ environmental initative sparks research on coffee as feedstock

In Ohio, University of Cincinnati researchers are looking into using waste coffee grounds as a biofuel feedstock. These waste coffee grounds could be used to purify crude biodiesel derived from coffee oils. While the grounds are ideal because they eliminate usage of edible oils and reduce the cost of the feedstocks, but are difficult to scale because coffee-ground generators are not evenly dispersed. Qingshi Tu, a doctoral student at UC, came up with the idea after learning about Starbucks’ initiative to become more environmentally friendly. Tu is confident that the research for production could be completed within two years.

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