A Biorefinery from Spent Coffee Grounds: from High-added Value Compounds to Energy by Innovative Processes

Abstract

Turning waste into a resource is one of the main aims in circular economy systems. The European Union is strongly promoting innovation in recycling and reuse to reduce waste generation and encouraging the transformation of waste into a major, reliable source of raw materials, to recover energy only from non-recyclable materials, and virtually to eliminate landfilling. In this work, Coffea canephora spent coffee grounds were proposed as raw material for a biorefinery involving green processes and innovative solvents, and the effect of pre-treatments on materials destined to energy production was evaluated.