Coffee without waste
2006/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
The Gaiker technology center, in collaboration with the Rioja company Unión Toaster, has worked on the search for productive processes with less environmental impact.
The objective of the project is to reduce the waste of natural coffee and those generated in the process of roasting, as well as the exploitation, reuse and valorization of these waste generated in the company itself.
In the production process of roasted coffee sugar is added at high temperatures. As a result, reactions of caramelization, non-enzymatic uprooting and Maillard reaction occur. All of them darken the grain, also producing aromatic molecules, chemical compounds and liquid waste. If these residues are not treated properly, they cause environmental damage.
Once the most suitable technology has been chosen, a treatment plant has been designed adapted to the characteristics and quantities of waste discharged by the company. In both the laboratory and the pilot treatment plant various tests have been carried out and the treatment system that allows the reuse of wastewater has yielded good results.
