Coffee wastewater to the rescue

The Energy from Coffee Wastewater project by UTZ Certified has en that is possible to generate energy, tackle climate change and protect water resources by treating discharges from coffee mills. The project started in 2010 with the goal of addressing environmental and health problems caused by the wastewater produced in the coffee industry.

Tailor-made coffee wastewater treatment systems and solid-waste treatment mechanisms were installed in eight coffee farms in Nicaragua, ten in Honduras and one in Guatemala. The positive environmental and economic impact of the project on over 5,000 people in the region has inspired UTZ Certified to replicate the initiative in other countries.

This is an amazing discovery! Only one percent of freshwater in the world is available for human consumption. A cup of coffee requires 140 litres of water to be produced. Over 70 percent of water used in Latin America is returned into rivers without being treated.

Latin America produces around 70 percent of the world’s coffee and is the continent where 31 percent of the world’s freshwater resources are located. Yet coffee production generates a great amount of wastewater that is regularly released untreated into rivers, affecting aquatic fauna and flora as well as downstream communities. Additionally, coffee wastewater comes along with tons of organic waste and high toxicity which affects the soil and generates considerable amounts of greenhouse-gas emissions, particularly methane, heavily contributing to climate change.  

The Energy from Coffee Wastewater project has been implemented in a range of differently-sized farms. The achieved results of the project range from preventing local deforestation of native trees to better indoor environments for families who replaced firewood with domestic gas stoves for cooking. 

UTZ Certified is currently introducing the technology in Peru and Brazil. UTZ hopes to get further funds and industry’s support to replicate the initiative in Africa and Asia.

More information....

 
 

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