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In London, coffee will soon be energizing more than just a person’s day.
Technology company bio-bean, in partnership with Shell and Argent Energy, has developed a biofuel with coffee oil to power London’s buses.
The coffee oil is extracted from coffee grounds, which is otherwise waste from the country’s coffee drinkers. It is blended with fats, oils and mineral diesel to produce the biofuel.
According to bio-bean, 200,000 tons of grounds come from London alone each year. But rather than tell Brits to cut down their coffee consumption, the company sees it as an opportunity for sustainable energy.
The company can recycle 50,000 tons annually, which they source from coffee shops and instant coffee factories in the country.
London’s coffee waste alone is projected to power one-third of the London bus network. Currently, 6,000 liters of coffee oil is available to operate one bus for one year.
The company is also bringing clean fuel into people’s homes through Coffee Logs. Coffee grounds can now be used for fires in stoves and chimneys to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. JB
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