London buses to be powered by coffee

Image
Press Trust of India London
Last Updated : Nov 20 2017 | 2:42 PM IST
In a first, waste coffee grounds will be used to make biofuels to power some of London's buses from today, according to a media report.
A biofuel created by blending oil extracted from coffee waste with diesel is to be added to the public transport fuel supply, BBC reported.
Technology firm bio-bean says it has produced enough coffee oil to power one bus for a year.
Transport for London (TfL) has increasingly turned to using biofuels to reduce transport emissions.
Biofuel made using waste products such as cooking oil and tallow from meat processing is already used in many of the capital's 9,500 buses, the report said.
However, this is thought to be the first time a coffee- derived biofuel has been added to London's public transport system.
Londoners create 200,000 tonnes of coffee waste a year, according to bio-bean.
The company takes the used grounds from coffee shops and instant coffee factories, and extracts oil from it in its factory.
This is then processed into a blended B20 biofuel. Buses can be powered using the fuel without the need for modification, it said.
The firm believes it would take just over 2.55 million cups of coffee to create the enough biofuel to run a London bus for a year once the oil has been blended with diesel.
Six-thousand litres of coffee oil have been produced so far.
"It's a great example of what can be done when we start to reimagine waste as an untapped resource," bio-bean founder Arthur Kay said.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 20 2017 | 2:42 PM IST

Next Story