Globally, coffee production is estimated to be responsible for upwards of 23 million tons of waste per year. This waste can be recycled in textiles by making Coffee fiber and fabric. (Coffee Ground Fiber Properties and Uses)
The coffee yarn or coffee fabric is multi-functional and can be used in a variety of products, from outdoor and sports performance wear to household items used every day.
Read: Roselle Fiber Properties and Uses
The coffee grounds used to create the yarn are taken and recycled from some of the world’s largest coffee vendors, like Starbucks. In this way, the company gives a second life to coffee grounds which would have otherwise ended up in the trash.
A company of Singtex industries discovers the way to use the coffee ground into wearable textile-like yarn which can further be converted into fabric.
Sintex industrial cop. a world-renowned Taiwanese company is known for the production of functional fabric. Singtex has successfully developed a new eco- friendly product that uses the fiber made from the waste of coffee ground.
Singtex successfully invented the S.Cafe eco-friendly coffee yarn in 2008, which was made from plastic bottles and coffee grounds, this green, high-tech yarn is environmentally friendly, deodorizing, and fast-drying, UV-resistant, and has many different applications.
Properties and Uses of Coffee Ground Fiber
Processing of Coffee Fiber
- Preparation material with coffee residue
The term ‘material with coffee residue’ includes microencapsulated backed coffee residue, microencapsulated coffee essential oil, microencapsulated fragrance organic compound which is extracted from coffee residue. Coffee essential oil could be extracted from the coffee bean. Then backed coffee residue or coffee essential oil was microencapsulated.
- Cleaning or sieving of coffee residue or raw material
The coffee bean waste is rinsed in clean water and then dried, in that case, a ground particle having a size of 20 to 100 micron. Then the ground mixture is sieved. The resultant composition can be sieved into different fine particle sizes between 80 – 100 um.
- Removal of organic contents from material with coffee residue
The sieved mixture treated with some solvents to remove the organic contents from the mixture. The extraction of fat is carried out in the soxhlet type extractor with ethyl ether. After the fatty acid has been removed, the aqueous solution containing water-soluble constituents is evaporated to reduce the pressure and extracted with absolute alcohol for removal of glycerol.
- Preparation of carbonized particles
The mixture from the above 3 steps is collected and carbonized using carbonization. For example, pyrolysis is the process in which the coffee mixture is heated, decomposed, and eventually converted into the desired product in the presence of air.
Pyrolysis includes carbonization, charcoal processing, gasification, activated carbon processing. The carbonization of coffee raw material is done in the presence of chemicals such as zinc chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, or phosphoric acid.
- Mixing of material with carbonized material to form a mixture.
- Blending the mixture with the polyester chip in a weight ratio of 1:9 to produce a masterbatch.
In this process, ground particle and polymer chip (such as PP, Nylon or PET) in the weight ratio of 1:9 are blended to prepare masterbatch. Alternatively, 75 percent of carbonized particles and 25 percent of the material with coffee fragrance are blended into polymer chips (such as PP, Nylon or PET) to make masterbatch.
- Drawing of Yarn from masterbatch.
Important Characteristics of Coffee Fiber
- Fast Drying
The main important feature of s cafe technology, coffee ground fiber is having faster drying capacity which means it continuously moves moisture away from the skin to the outer surface of the fabric. Scafe fabric diffuses the body moisture wicks it away from the body to the atmosphere. It is not a temporary kind of finish in the fabric, this feature being permanent will never wash out.
- Odor control
Nano-sized coffee granules are permanently embedded in the fiber. these coffee particles absorb the odor. further fabric made from coffee fiber helps to absorb the odor from our body which produced throughout the day.
- UV protection
Cafe coffee ground provided with huge microscopic pores that create long-lasting natural and chemical-free shield for fiber or yarn or fabric, which reflects UV rays and provide comfortable outdoor experience.
- Eco-friendly
Cafe technology utilizes recycled coffee grounds that otherwise would have gone to landfill, expanding the recycling of coffee gives value to the waste.
Apart from this S. cafe is another sustainable yarn which able to cool down the temperature of our body about 1 to 2c compared to common fabrics. In fact, the fabric itself gives the cooling feel.
Environmental Merits of Coffee Fiber
Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks, as a result of this most of the coffee ground is discarded into the environment as waste but Singtex is now collecting the waste grounds from the drinks giant turns into sportswear.
However, it is a new discovery to totally enhance the life cycle of the coffee industry and make the waste more valuable.
The manufacturing process of coffee fiber involves the use of chemicals which are non-toxic in nature, hence they do not create harm to the environment.
The manufacturing of a new product does not require high temperature for carbonization, so its manufacturing process is more efficient. More important point is that the process does not use hazardous chemicals as well.
S.cafe fiber comes under the environmentally friendly textile as the fibers are 100 percent biodegradable and do not create an impact on the environment as well.
Instead of focusing on the end-product test, the blue sign is one standard association which analyses all input in producing products from raw material to the chemical component, to water and energy resources.
The blue sign is one textile standard association, these blue sign standards analyze all input in producing an article from raw material to the chemical component, to water and energy resources.
The blue sign standard is dedicated to protecting consumers and reducing the environmental impact by minimizing waste and emission and reducing resource usage. It designed to solution for reducing the environmental impact.
Major environmental benefits using coffee ground fiber.
100% biodegradable and eco-friendly.
200% fast-drying capacity.
Applications and uses of Coffee Ground Fiber
- Apparel Textile
Coffee fiber can be used in apparel Textiles like clothing, it can be used in activewear, T-shirts, and even sports bras. As the coffee fiber offers a 200 percent faster-drying capacity, it can be used for manufacturing sports cloth. Eco-Friendly fabric can be washed easily without the need of any detergents.
- Home furnishings
The coffee ground fiber was used primarily in clothing, but this material can be used as part of the structures in the interior design for coffee shop and home furnishings.
- Athletic wear
Roasted coffee has natural deodorizing properties so that fabric made from coffee yarn has great application in Athletic wear. Which is designed to soak up the sweat. Apart from this, it is found that coffee fiber is faster drying and serve as UV shield, hence fabric gives a perfect match for athletic wear.
Reference- https://www.fibre2fashion.com/
