Coffee is well known for being able to power the economic engine that is America's workforce. But its not particularly good at powering actual engines. It's much better at making compost, if you're going to try and find something to do with it.
Well, that may no longer be the case. Some chemical engineers at the University of Nevada are reporting that they've made a high quality bio-diesel from coffee grounds. Coffee grounds are actually about 15% oil, which isn't a great percentage for a bio-diesel crop. Unless you don't have to grow it, and companies might actually pay you to help get rid of it.
The researchers estimate that their process could produce about 340 million gallons of bio-diesel from coffee world wide, and that they could make about $8 M in profits just from Starbuck's grounds.
It's not going to save the world, but it's certainly a smart use for what is otherwise just trash.
Fill Your Car with Starbucks Diesel? | EcoGeek - Clean Technology
