Utilizing coffee grounds and sawdust, four young individuals from the Coffuel project have created fuel pellets for industrial boilers to replace coal, firewood, and gas.
The Coffuel Project is led by Nguyen Xuan Bao from the School of Chemistry and Life Sciences at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, alongside his friends Pham Minh Long Hai, Bui Nguyen Khanh Linh, and Nguyen Minh Anh.
Biomass pellets from coffee grounds created by the Coffuel team. (Photo: Research Group).
Bao shared that the idea of utilizing agricultural by-products sparked during a visit to a coffee plantation in Dak Lak, where he noticed that “there was too little value derived from coffee plants.” In February 2022, the team began searching for solutions to exploit energy from coffee grounds.
The team collected coffee grounds from processing plants and sawdust from furniture workshops. The coffee grounds were treated to remove odors, excess essential oils, and any substandard particles. The sawdust was screened for appropriate size, cleanliness, and moisture content. The raw materials were then fed into an industrial rotary drying system to achieve a moisture level of about 8-10%.
After drying, the materials underwent a mixing process with a ratio of 50-55% coffee grounds and 42-44% sawdust, heated to maintain suitable moisture levels and prevent mold. The temperature was kept between 75-80 degrees Celsius to melt the tannin compounds in the coffee grounds, which, combined with the high lignin content in sawdust, formed a natural binder.
In the final step, the mixture was subjected to high-pressure extrusion and pelletized using a mold, with the pressure adjusted for either industrial-grade pellets or those for household use.
“The pellets are 120% more efficient compared to wood pellets and produce up to 90% less ash compared to traditional coal,” said Pham Minh Long Hai, a team member.
The Coffuel project won the championship at the HUST Techstart 2023 Technology Startup Innovation Competition.
The Coffuel project won the championship in the technology startup competition. (Photo: Ha An).
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Phong Dien, Deputy Director of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, praised the innovative idea and offered solutions beneficial to the community. This research direction also shows promise for commercialization.
