Rutgers Energy Institute- Energy Innovation Contest: Sept. 2017- May 2018
Coffee is one of the largest agricultural commodities in the world. As such, spent coffee
grains are one of the largest sources of agricultural waste. After consulting with the dining hall administration, we discovered that the Rutgers dining halls use approximately 22,460
pounds of coffee annually. We proposed that Rutgers use a machine that implements existing
techniques for extracting oils from these spent coffee grains and processes it into useful bio-diesel.
We believe that the most advantageous application for this proposal would be in the
Rutgers dining hall kitchens. They have the necessary equipment for processing coffee grains
into bio-diesel and they have a significant demand for fuel. Advantages of implementing this
proposal would not only include a reduction in the energy costs required for operation, but it
would also include a decrease in the amount of fuel used for waste removal. Furthermore, this alternative fuel source is especially beneficial for use in the dining halls as it is biodegradable and less toxic than conventional fuels. This proposal includes an economic analysis that highlights the savings on energy costs that would be gained, a comprehensive guide for implementation, a technical explanation of the chemical process, and computer generated designs of a device that can be manufactured to execute this
chemical process.
Collaborators: Jonathan Burnley and Kevin Do
Project Report
Project Poster
