Tiếng ViệtNot only in the Vietnamese market, bioplastic made from coffee grounds is also an environmentally friendly source of biological materials that environmentalists pursue and research. Although they come from different production methods, in general, bioplastic products from coffee were born to become an alternative source of raw materials for primary plastic and protect the environment more optimally.
What is bioplastic made from coffee grounds?
To put it simply, bioplastic made from coffee grounds is a plastic granule material with a combination of natural materials, which is used coffee grounds, which are selected and utilized to create a new renewable materials. Through research methods, manipulation or mixing with other materials, researchers will turn seemingly simple coffee grounds into a renewable biological material useful for the Earth.
Bioplastic made from coffee grounds has optimal biodegradability after a certain period of time, friendly and reduce negative impacts on the natural environment and people.
Why is coffee grounds chosen to produce bioplastic?
According to a report from the International Coffee Organization, more than six million tons of coffee grounds are generated around the world. In 2012, statistics from the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry showed that more than half of used coffee grounds were sent to landfills.
Some of them are composted, while others could one day be put to use as carbon capture materials, biofuels or road building materials. That said, today, most of the coffee grounds end up in landfills, and the amount of coffee is not limited, but on the contrary is an abundant resource for people to take advantage of.
In addition, a more special reason is the amount of methane emitted by coffee when it is sent to landfills and not treated. While methane is a strong greenhouse gas, it has the ability to absorb much more heat than carbon dioxide. For the atmosphere, a ton of methane is 25 times more harmful than a ton of CO2, but because the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is several thousand times larger than methane, CO2 is still considered the leading greenhouse gas agent. head.
However, humans certainly cannot significantly reduce coffee consumption so emissions from coffee grounds will continue to increase. And taking advantage of coffee grounds as a green raw material is the key to partially solving this problem.
Bioplastic materials from coffee exist in the world
1.Yokohama, Japan
The source of bioplastic made from coffee grounds in Japan originates from a doctoral group at Yokohama National University (YNU), YNU researchers have made efforts to build on studies on the creation of cellulose nanofibers. from coffee grounds. The study results were reported in the journal Cellulose on April 1, 2020.
The ultimate goal of the research team is to establish a sustainable recycling system from the cellulose nanofibers in coffee. In this state of affairs, many countries as well as restaurants and cafes have banned single-use plastic. The team wants to create a biodegradable coffee cup and straws using cellulose nanofibers from used coffee grounds.
Associate Professor Izuru Kawamura: “Our ultimate goal is to establish a sustainable recycling system with our cellulose nanofibers in the coffee industry.”
To extract cellulose from used coffee grounds, the team used a catalyst that oxidizes and breaks down the cell walls of coffee beans. The result is microscopic cellulose fibers with a uniform structure. And they can easily be mixed into polyvinyl alcohol — a polymer used to make biodegradable plastics — to create a synthetic resin. The results show that used coffee grounds are a viable substitute for wood to create cellulose nanofibers.
Kawamura says they can be used to make plastic composites for a wide range of products, but more research will be needed to develop a commercially viable process.
2. Coffee cups made from coffee bioplastic – Germany
This is a business idea about taking advantage of coffee materials from a start-up in Berlin, Germany – Kaffeeform. One of the businesses created coffee cups from recycled coffee grounds starting in 2019.
With the help of a courier service, the company collects used coffee grounds from cafes across Berlin to create eco-friendly coffee cups. Designed to replace fossil-based, coffee-based bioplastics, this innovative material is based on renewable raw materials and is free of crude oil binders.
All Kaffeeform products are made in Germany, the ingredients are then mixed and shaped into coffee cups, packaged and sent to cafes, shops and end customers.
3. Washington, USA
According to new research from Washington State University, a composite plastic partly made from used coffee grounds is a tough and environmentally friendly material that can be used as a material for 3D printing.
Researchers found that a coffee bioplastic containing 20% coffee grounds is 400% more resilient than pure poly-lactic acid (PLA) biodegradable plastics most commonly used in 3D printing. .
PLA is a common plastic material used for many medical and consumer products, such as in drug delivery, tissue engineering, food packaging, as well as for 3D printing. Made from corn starch, it is biodegradable. However, when used for 3D printing applications, products made from PLA lack durability and break easily. In fact, 3D printed products are almost exclusively limited to being toys, jewelry or display models.
For their research, WSU researchers decided to add coffee grounds to PLA. The researchers didn’t use the coffee grounds directly, instead, they used a dry and odorless material that’s left over after the coffee oil has been removed and used to produce the oil. biodiesel.
After mixing their coffee material with PLA, the used coffee grounds extracted from the oil can not only increase impact resistance, but also reduce the cost of the overall 3D printed material.
4. UK – Biomaterials from coffee in interior design
Made from coffee grounds obtained from coffee shops, the That’s Caffeine brand can be used to create several lines of lighting, furniture and accessories. Atticus- founder and researcher of eco-friendly coffee materials believes that designers have a responsibility for the future of our planet and hopes his work has a global impact on reducing waste and energy in the future.
That’s Caffeine is a unique material created from recycled coffee grounds that brings new and exciting design possibilities to both interior and exterior projects. Starting from a university graduation project, That’s Coffee has proven to be effective when developed and applied to life. With the ambition to become an alternative to building materials, that’s Caffeine hopes to become a material that helps reduce CO2 emissions and is less harmful to the Earth’s environment as well as to the environment around people.
5. The first bioplastic made from coffee grounds in Viet Nam
Source:
Born in early 2021 after research by a team of doctoral engineers for more than 10 years, bioplastic made from coffee grounds is a solution to environmental problems.
Vietnam is the second largest coffee producing country in the world, this is both a challenge and an advantage for the Vietnamese Biopolymer team when it comes to the problem of how to take advantage of the abundant coffee resources to produce coffee. into effective environmental work.
Currently, there are not many enterprises developing materials from recycled materials from coffee grounds, at this time, popular bioplastic products are PLA, PBAT, PHA, etc. made from starch. corn, potatoes, cassava.
Ingredient:
Bioplastic made from coffee grounds is a unique combination from 60% of coffee grounds that are collected selectively from points and chains of coffee consumption across the country. After mixing with other materials, the bioplastic from Coffee Bio-composite is divided into small sized granules, dried and stored in a dry place.
Applications in production
In production, bioplastic made from coffee grounds can be applied to all types of traditional plastic machines, helping businesses save costs, without the need to replace expensive new machines.
In addition, bioplastic made from coffee grounds can be applied to the extrusion, injection molding and film blowing industries to create useful products to replace plastic. Due to the superior natural properties of coffee grounds, the bioplastic material from coffee has high hardness and durability, so it can be applied most of the production technologies of traditional plastic.
Application products:
Applied products of bioplastic made from coffee grounds can serve many different industries, or even any product that can replace plastic.
Application in the food industry: bioplastics from coffee can be applied to create cups, cutlery sets or lunch boxes, cups, plates, etc. Products for home and personal consumption: products such as coffee ballpoint pens, cosmetic jars, bathroom sets, etc.
The products have high applicability, meet the criteria in terms of features while still being environmentally friendly. Suitable for coffee chains, restaurants, hotels or offices and end consumers.
In summary, bioplastic made from coffee grounds has proven to be effective and the potential benefits that this material brings to human life. Along with the development of science and technology, the bioplastic industry in Vietnam and the world will always have breakthrough research and products, helping to contribute to the efforts of environmental protection of Vietnam. Around the world.
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