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credit Haif Aljomard \/ SWNS<\/p>\n credit Haif Aljomard \/ SWNS<\/p>\n
A new technology utilizing coffee and plastic waste is designed to capture carbon dioxide from industrial processes before it\u2019s released into the atmosphere, and has been patented by scientists.<\/p>\n
The highly novel and detailed method with promising potential to reduce environmental pollution utilizes a blend of spent coffee grounds, polyethylene terephthalate, (PET) and potassium hydroxide, a strong alkaline chemical.<\/p>\n
The components together form an effective material for CO\u2082 adsorption, say the research team based in the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n
Globally, an estimated eight million tons of spent coffee grounds are discarded annually, mostly ending up in landfills where they emit methane and other greenhouse gases. PET is a member of the polyester family and widely used in consumer packaging.<\/p>\n
Potassium hydroxide serves as a powerful activating agent in the process, enhancing the material\u2019s ability to trap carbon, and the researchers at the University of Sharjah combine the three to create activated carbon\u2014a common component in many consumer and industrial products, which when used would trap the carbon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat begins with a Starbucks coffee cup and a discarded plastic water bottle can become a powerful tool in the fight against climate change through the production of activated carbon,\u201d boasted study leader Dr. Haif Aljomard.<\/p>\n
She says the process operates at an activation temperature of 600\u202f\u00b0C, much lower than conventional thermal recycling methods for plastic, and emphasized that the patent presents \u201csignificant\u201d findings in the synthesis of activated carbon from waste materials, and the waste-to-resource approach that underpins the technology.<\/p>\n