Coffee – the new energy source?
Have you seen the headlines about the new research project concerning the use of coffee as a potential fuel? The world is becoming increasingly interested in alternative sources of power. There has been talk of obtaining gas and oil from shale. Wind farms are becoming more and more common. There is research into many other power sources, such as using the tides of the sea. Now the University of North Dakota has also put in a bid to look into another source of energy.
What is the story? The Energy & Environmental Research Centre at the university and Wynntryst are reported to be collaborating in a project which is looking to create power from the wastage at a coffee roasting plant. Apparently, these facilities produce a bio-based waste product, which is making scientists scratch their heads – could the waste be put to good use? Given the increasing love of coffee (have you noticed that coffee shops are weathering the economic downturn very well thank you very much?), this could potentially be very useful.
The Wynntryst energy company and the EERC should make an interesting partnership. According to reports, the EERC has already done some work for NASA, in terms of looking into ways waste in space stations could be used for heat and power. Recycling is certainly the name of the game. The two organisations are now putting their heads together to see if they can create some sort of gasification technology to make power from waste.