| Title |
Spent coffee grounds as heat source for coffee roasting plants: Experimental validation and case study |
| ID_Doc |
20767 |
| Authors |
Allesina, G; Pedrazzi, S; Allegretti, F; Tartarini, P |
| Title |
Spent coffee grounds as heat source for coffee roasting plants: Experimental validation and case study |
| Year |
2017 |
| Published |
|
| DOI |
10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2017.07.202 |
| Abstract |
The aim of this work is to validate a new sustainable economic circle where coffee roasting companies recycle spent coffee grounds as a source of thermal energy to produce roasted coffee. The green coffee beans need a significant quantity of heat in the roasting process and this energy could be obtained from the spent coffee grounds discarded by espresso bars. According to the concept of circular economy, a coffee company collects the coffee disposed by the bars where it was brewed, and uses it in a heat generator for the roasting process. This paper presents the feasibility of SCG-wood sawdust pelletization and combustion in a 29 kWth air furnace. Results of the tests report a thermal efficiency of 41.2% instead of 37.7% obtained with only wood pellet. In addition, the case study of a small Italian roasting company is discussed. The company produces about 5 tons of roasted coffee per day and it uses 400 Nm(3)/day of natural gas as heat source. The company totally satisfies its energy demand through wood-coffee pellet combustion instead of natural gas. According to the business plan, the pay-back period of the investment is four years after which company CO2 emissions significantly decrease. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
| Author Keywords |
Combustion; Coffee; Circular economy; Thermal valorisation; Case study |
| Index Keywords |
Index Keywords |
| Document Type |
Other |
| Open Access |
Open Access |
| Source |
Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) |
| EID |
WOS:000412251200068 |
| WoS Category |
Thermodynamics; Energy & Fuels; Engineering, Mechanical; Mechanics |
| Research Area |
Thermodynamics; Energy & Fuels; Engineering; Mechanics |
| PDF |
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