Valorization of Turkish Coffee Waste as a Biodiesel Feedstock

Abstract

Increasing industrialization and population increase demand to fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are limited all over the world. This causes the supply of these fuels to deplete and at the same time increase greenhouse gas emissions. Biodiesel is a good alternative to fossil fuels. Researchers are looking for products with high oil content as a feedstock for biodiesel production. Since the average oil content of coffee is 15% by weight and the annual coffee consumption in the world is approximately 1.5-2 million tons, it is possible to contribute to the economy by producing biodiesel from the waste coffee oil. Turkish coffee is a special coffee due to its preparation and cooking methods and has an important place in Turkish culture. Its consumption between the other coffee types is above 80% in Turkey, so it should be evaluated differently. In this study, the oil amount of Turkish coffee waste was investigated and it was discussed as a raw material for biodiesel. 16.8% wt. oil was obtained as a result of soxhlet extraction of Turkish coffee waste. This study suggests 8.44 million L of biodiesel production from Turkish coffee waste annually.