Approximately 4.4 billion tons of concrete is produced worldwide every year. This production process likewise consumes 8 billion tons of sand each year, which has partly led to severe shortages of construction products in recent years. Interestingly, we produce about 10 billion kilograms of used coffee grounds every year. According to scientists, coffee grounds, which are completely waste, can be used as a strong binding material in concrete production.A group of researchers from RMIT University in Australia discovered that it can be used instead of silica in the concrete production process, and when used in appropriate proportions, coffee grounds form a much stronger chemical bond than sand alone. According to the statement, the disposal of organic waste poses an environmental problem as it emits large amounts of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, which cause climate change. The research team states that Australia produces 75 million kilograms of used coffee grounds each year, with much of it going to landfills.
Coffee grounds strengthen concrete by 30 percent
The study’s lead author, Dr. Rajeev Roychand says that coffee grounds cannot be mixed raw with standard concrete, as it will not bind with other materials due to its organic content. To make the grounds more cohesive, the team tried pyrolyzing the materials at 350 and 500 degrees and then using 5, 10, 15, and 20 percent (by volume) sand substitutes for standard concrete mixes. The team found that 350 degrees is the perfect temperature, providing a 29.3 percent increase in compressive strength of composite concrete blended with coffee biochar.In addition to reducing emissions and making stronger concrete, the impact of the continuous extraction of natural resources such as sand can thus be reduced. The concrete industry has the potential to contribute significantly to increasing the recycling of organic waste such as used coffee. When coffee grounds rot in landfills, they emit methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Research shows that just one kilogram of methane over a 20-year period warms the planet tens of times more than the same amount of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Co-author of the study, Dr. “Our research is still in the early stages, but these exciting findings offer an innovative way to drastically reduce the amount of organic waste going to landfills where methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide, will be produced in large quantities,” Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch said in a statement. says.
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