Coffee set to power London buses in green initiative

LONDON: For the first time, some of London's buses will soon be powered by a biofuel made partly from waste coffee grounds.

The biofuel is created by mixing coffee oil extracted from coffee waste with diesel, which can be added to the London bus fuel supply chain without need for modification, Shell and technology firm Bio-bean said in a joint news release on Nov 20 (Monday). 
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Working with biofuel producer Argent Energy, the final fuel blend is made up of 80 per cent traditional diesel, and 20 per cent biofuel. The new fuel provides a cleaner, more sustainable energy solution for buses by decreasing emissions, the release added.

The average Londoner drinks 2.3 cups of coffee a day, producing over 200,000 tonnes of waste a year. Bio-bean aims to collect these waste coffee grounds from high street chains and factories.  

So far, 6,000 litres of coffee-derived biodiesel has been produced, which could help power a bus for a whole year.

"It’s a great example of what can be done when we start to reimagine waste as an untapped resource," Bio-bean's founder Arthur Kay said. 

Shell Singapore said the technology "holds much potential for heavily motorised countries".

"This is an exciting development not just for those in London, but also cities around the world looking to be powered by more sustainable and energy-efficient transport systems. We hope to see more of such inspiring and creative responses to sustainability in Asia’s own clean energy movement,” said Jason Leow, general manager of external relations at Shell Singapore.