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Review
. 2022 Jan 22;14(3):437.
doi: 10.3390/polym14030437.

Valorization of Spent Coffee Grounds as Precursors for Biopolymers and Composite Production

Anne Shayene Campos de Bomfim  1 , Daniel Magalhães de Oliveira  1 , Herman Jacobus Cornelis Voorwald  1 , Kelly Cristina Coelho de Carvalho Benini  1 , Marie-Josée Dumont  2 , Denis Rodrigue  3
Affiliations
Review

Valorization of Spent Coffee Grounds as Precursors for Biopolymers and Composite Production

Anne Shayene Campos de Bomfim et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are a current subject in many works since coffee is the second most consumed beverage worldwide; however, coffee generates a high amount of waste (SCG) and can cause environmental problems if not discarded properly. Therefore, several studies on SCG valorization have been published, highlighting its waste as a valuable resource for different applications, such as biofuel, energy, biopolymer precursors, and composite production. This review provides an overview of the works using SCG as biopolymer precursors and for polymer composite production. SCG are rich in carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and minerals. In particular, carbohydrates (polysaccharides) can be extracted and fermented to synthesize lactic acid, succinic acid, or polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). On the other hand, it is possible to extract the coffee oil and to synthesize PHA from lipids. Moreover, SCG have been successfully used as a filler for composite production using different polymer matrices. The results show the reasonable mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties of SCG to support their applications, from food packaging to the automotive industry.

Keywords: biopolymer precursors; composites; polysaccharides; spent coffee grounds.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
SCG chemical compounds after brewing.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The synthesis steps leading to 2,3-butanediol.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The three pathways leading to PHA synthesis.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Challenges related to PHA production from SCG.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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