Researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne have found a way to turn coffee grounds into biochar material that can be used to make concrete more sustainable and stronger.
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00:00It's a daily ritual for many Australians.
00:04But now a morning cup of coffee could also help the planet.
00:08That's now that researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
00:12have found a way to turn coffee grounds into a material that can be added to concrete,
00:16making it stronger and more sustainable.
00:20The grounds are heated in an oxygen-free chamber to create a substance
00:24called biochar. This can be used as a substitute
00:28for some materials in concrete that are harmful to the environment.
00:32There's a lot of interest, as I earlier said, a lot of interest from the industry
00:36because it ticks all boxes. You preserve carbon
00:40and you are significantly getting higher strength, which can leverage
00:44reduction in cement. So there's all positive sides to this project.
00:48Making concrete produces greenhouse gases,
00:52mostly through the use of cement. It's responsible for around
00:5650 per cent of the world's emissions, contributing to global warming.
01:00Roughly 50 billion tonnes of sand and gravel are dug up
01:04each year for use in concrete. The extraction is
01:08often environmentally damaging, and the UN says supply is shrinking.
01:12But using a combination of biochar
01:16and these other materials, emissions can be reduced
01:20while also making the concrete 30 per cent stronger.
01:24Fantastic. It's a very innovative idea.
01:28Bring the cost of concrete down and the materials.
01:32Obviously there's a benefit to the environment
01:36for not using harsh chemicals and replacing it with coffee grounds
01:40as a natural product, easy to access.
01:44A lot of cafes could sell their coffee grounds.
01:48So end-to-end it's a great solution.
01:52A fraction of the billions of kilograms produced globally.
01:56These emit methane as they break down in landfill.
02:00The Institute is already in talks with Starbucks to use their coffee grounds
02:04and is collaborating with several construction companies.
02:08And with this technology, the world's first footpath made with coffee concrete
02:12has now been laid in Melbourne.
02:16But the Institute doesn't plan to stop at coffee.
02:20It hopes other food waste could be used in this way.
02:24In terms of real world, our focus is
02:28that we try to transform all of the organic waste
02:32that is ending up in landfills for this positive application in concrete.
02:36So we anticipate that about 60 to 70 per cent
02:40we can divert from landfills into concrete applications.
02:44Food waste accounts for 3 per cent of Australia's emissions.
02:48Researchers believe most of it could be turned into biochar.
02:52And while Melbournians might unknowingly use this green footpath,
02:56it marks a significant milestone in the quest for sustainable construction practices
03:00and an avenue to reduce global emissions.
03:04In other words, it's grounds for optimism.
03:08Ryan Wu and Rosie Grenninger for Taiwan Plus.