Contributing to a Circular Economy
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One of the major challenges facing humanity today is finding solutions for the reduction of CO2 emissions into the Earth's atmosphere to combat global warming and climate change. Awareness of the need to reduce CO2 emissions and to build a circular economy has increased drastically in recent years in both the public and private sectors. For example, in 2020, the European Union announced a new action plan that, among other things, “promotes circular economy processes, . . . and aims to ensure that waste is prevented and the resources used are kept in the EU economy for as long as possible.” Similar efforts are underway in jurisdictions around the world.
While most of the efforts focus on the recycling of plastic and other industrial manufactured materials and finding alternative and more efficient recycling methods, the potential of utilizing biological waste products as upcycling materials has only recently gained traction. |
ecobrain has developed groundbreaking composites that enable the upcycling of biological waste materials such as spent coffee grounds into new sustainable products that are recyclable. If implemented and utilized in the furniture, interior design, and construction industries, among others, the use of ecobrain’s composites could potentially store >> 100 million tons of CO2 and therefore contribute significantly to a circular economy. As a result, ecobrain’s patented technology allows its partners to contribute to building a climate neutral supply change and therefore position themselves for a greener future. In partnering with ecobrain, companies will be able to reduce their environmental footprint without the need to expend additional funds for equipment as existing manufacturing and production facilities may be utilized in the production process.
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/circular-economy-action-plan_en |
The Potential of Spent Coffee Grounds as a Versatile Resource
As a result of the high coffee consumption worldwide, an estimated 15 Mio tons of spent coffee grounds ("SCG") are produced every year. Pursuant to a recent article published in the Journal Sience of The Total Environment, “one (1) ton of SCG generates 682 kg of CO2eq, while the landfilling of SCGs produces 28.644 million tons of CO2eq per year, a quantity comparable to the CO2 generated by 10.6 million liters of burned diesel fuel.” Most of the SCG are disposed of through incineration, a disposal method that further contributes to the emission of CO2. The upcycling of this widely available and versatile waste material into new sustainable products has therefore the potential to contribute significantly to achieving a circular economy.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969719316857
As a result of the high coffee consumption worldwide, an estimated 15 Mio tons of spent coffee grounds ("SCG") are produced every year. Pursuant to a recent article published in the Journal Sience of The Total Environment, “one (1) ton of SCG generates 682 kg of CO2eq, while the landfilling of SCGs produces 28.644 million tons of CO2eq per year, a quantity comparable to the CO2 generated by 10.6 million liters of burned diesel fuel.” Most of the SCG are disposed of through incineration, a disposal method that further contributes to the emission of CO2. The upcycling of this widely available and versatile waste material into new sustainable products has therefore the potential to contribute significantly to achieving a circular economy.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969719316857
Upcycling utilizing Spent Coffee Grounds
Contributes to the Storage of CO2
that Would Otherwise be Released
into the Atmosphere by Industrial Incineration.
Contributes to the Storage of CO2
that Would Otherwise be Released
into the Atmosphere by Industrial Incineration.
Storage of CO2 in Upcycled Products
The upcycling of biological waste materials such as spent coffee grounds (“SCG”) contributes to the storage of CO2 that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. For example, 1 ton of dry SCG binds 1.8 tons of CO2. If implemented and utilized in the furniture, interior design, fashion and construction industries, among others, the use of ecobrain’s composites could potentially store >>100 million tons of CO2 and therefore contribute significantly to achieving a circular economy.
The upcycling of biological waste materials such as spent coffee grounds (“SCG”) contributes to the storage of CO2 that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. For example, 1 ton of dry SCG binds 1.8 tons of CO2. If implemented and utilized in the furniture, interior design, fashion and construction industries, among others, the use of ecobrain’s composites could potentially store >>100 million tons of CO2 and therefore contribute significantly to achieving a circular economy.
The new dimension of Bio Based Raw Materials
Products that can be produced utilizing ecobrain’s composites significantly reduce the ecofootprint of manufacturers and customers and contribute to building a climate neutral supply chain.
