Thursday 14 August 2014

Brit coffee-to-fuel firm up for €500k prize

Brit coffee-to-fuel firm up for €500k prize

A British firm which “upcycles” coffee grounds into fuel is shortlisted to bag a €500,000 (£401k) prize.

Bio-bean, co-founded by Arthur Kay uses a patented process to turn the waste coffee into two advanced biofuel products, biodiesel and biomass pellets.

These can be used for powering buildings and transport systems.

The company is one of five environmentally sustainable start-ups scrapping it out to bag the Dutch Postcode Lottery Prize, whittled down from 324 sustainable business plans from 57 different countries.

Other nominees include two Dutch firms – festival tent-recycling firm One Nights Tent and Blue Rise which uses the ocean’s temperature changes to generate heat and cooling.

France’s Turbosail which reduces sailing boats’ fuel use by 30% and Vietnamese business Fargreen which reduces the amount of straw waste (from rice) growing which is burnt are also in the running.

At a judging day representatives of the businesses will present their ideas to a jury in Amsterdam led by Ellen MacArthur, British ex-solo sailor and founder of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

The winner will be announced that day.

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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