Colombian company produces eco-friendly fuel pellets from coffee husk
Colombian company produces eco-friendly fuel pellets from coffee husk
Coffee Network (Bogota)- Garcabas, an innovative Colombian company, is using the residuals of coffee to produce fuel pellets, an eco-friendly fuel source made from coffee husk, which is being exported and sold to feed local industries’ boilers.
Garcabas is currently producing 10,000 kilos/day of coffee pellets. Around 60% of that production is being used to feed the boilers of coal-fired power plant Termopaipa, sugar cane producer Ingenio Risaralda, and the local unit of US paper company Kimberly-Clark. The balance 40% is being exported to Spain’s retailer Corte Ingles. The pellet used to heat homes is also shipped to Greece, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands and the US, Mauricio Mejia, project manager at Garcabas, told Coffee Network.
But Garcabas seeks to expand capacity to 50,000 kilos/day, demanding an investment of US$300,000 to make inroads into new markets, use pellets as biofuel for drying coffee in Colombia, and expand into newer local industries.
Coffee pellets can be used to heat homes, dry coffee and feed industries’ boilers, Mejia explained.
Garcabas sent a proposal to the coffee growers federation FNC to secure a strategic alliance for the implementation of coffee pellets as biofuel for drying coffee in Colombia and marketing the product in the national and foreign market as a renewable energy source of high calorific value. Garcabas also requested FNC to sell to them the coffee musk growers generate to increase production of coffee pellets.
The increased production capacity would also allow to tap new international markets.
Garcabas’ market research has identified that the European Union, which is imposing strict policies on renewable energy, could be a growing market as a major importer of sustainable biofuels.
Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway have been leaders in the use of biomass for power generation, making them key markets for biofuels in general, Garcabas said in a report sent to the coffee growers federation. In addition, the company eyes making inroads into Japan and South Korea, which are increasing their imports of biomass pellets for power production.
Coffee pellets to dry coffee
Garcabas is requesting the coffee growers’ federation to sell to them the coffee husk coffee growers generate. The company said the project will bring benefits to coffee growers who will receive a payment for selling their husk.
“As the coffee growers federation has access to large quantities of agricultural coffee waste, we are requesting the federation to supply the volume of raw material required for the manufacture of pellets at a very competitive cost. This reduces waste, contributes to the circular economy, and offers a sustainable waste management solution, in addition to favoring production costs,” Garcabas said in the report.
Garcabas is currently paying COP$240 pesos per kilogram of coffee husk.
By transforming waste into pellets, the Federation will generate additional income for coffee growers, which will strengthen the economy of the coffee sector. These residues, which until now did not generate direct benefits, will become a source of income, which will diversify the sources of income of coffee growers and increase the profitability of their operations, it added.
“This alliance generates additional economic income for coffee growers by integrating them into the value chain, using the residues from their crops, in the generation of an innovative, scalable and marketable product with the support of the National Federation of Coffee Growers,” Garcabas said.
A coffee grower could spend COP2,700 pesos per arroba drying coffee, about half the COP5,100 pesos they could spend on drying beans using gas.
Coffee growers will also benefit as the project directly impacts the health of coffee growers by using the eco-friendly biofuel in the drying process, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, and mitigating climate change.
Cleaner, cost-efficient product
The coffee pellets are more efficient and cost-effective than wood, while they are an eco-friendly fuel source than other polluting sources like coal with a higher heat value and lower ash content. Coffee pellets have a 35% higher heating value than hardwood and produce less ash, which means they burn longer and need less cleaning. According to the document, the coffee pellet has a higher heating caloric value than wood, gas or sugarcane.
“While sugarcane husk and bagasse have an efficiency of around 77% in terms of combustion, coffee pellets reach approximately 88%. This higher efficiency translates into a lower generation of ash and pollutants, allowing for easier cleaning of the boilers. This in turn reduces maintenance costs, CO2 emissions and can even lead to tax savings depending on government policies that promote the use of renewable energy sources, “Garcabas said.
By Diana Delgado
