Climate Action 2011-2012

Figure 1. Share of carbon footprint along the coffee chain.
Source: Tchibo research
the methane produced in the fermentation process. Methane
is a much more damaging GHG than CO 2
.
Challenges from Coffee
proCessing
After harvesting the coffee, the ripe berries need to be
processed as soon as possible. The coffee beans must be
removed from the fruit and dried before they can be roasted.
This can be done either by the dry or wet method.
The wet method is more commonly used in the majority
of the coffee producing countries, such as Nicaragua and
other countries in Central America. It requires the use of
specific equipment and substantial quantities of water. When
properly done, it ensures that the intrinsic qualities of the
coffee beans are better preserved, producing a green coffee
which is homogeneous and has few defective beans. The
process of extracting the beans from coffee cherries generates
enormous volumes of waste in the form of pulp and residual
water. The waste water has a high content of organic matter
and acidity. The waste water in coffee has chemical oxygen
demand (COD) values that vary between 18,000 and 30,000
milligrams per litre. The oxidation of the organic matter in
the water is done by means of microflora of bacteria that feed
on the matter and consume the oxygen in the water. In case
of a substantial discharge of waste water into a natural water
body, typically a river, the oxygen in the river is depleted,
thereby choking and destroying the aquatic fauna and flora,
such as fish, crabs, micro-organisms and various river plants.
Discharges from coffee ‘beneficios’ (processing plants) are
a major source of river pollution in northern Latin America.
The Guatemala-based Instituto Centroamericano de
Investigación y Tecnología Industrial has estimated that
over a six-month period during 1988, the processing of
547,000 tonnes of coffee in Central America generated
1.1 million tonnes of pulp, and polluted 110,000 cubic
metres of water per day, resulting in discharges to the
region’s waterways equivalent to raw sewage dumping from
a city of four million people.
stringent requirements and
professional development
UTZ Certified is convinced that increasing sustainability should
also reinforce the independent position of farmers. This is why
farmers are trained in the professional development of their
agricultural practice and operational management. This improves
the quality of their products and allows them to produce higher
volumes at lower costs. This in turn enables the farmers to
negotiate a better price for a better product and to improve
their standard of living. Moreover, farmers who work with
UTZ Certified in the global marketplace receive a premium for
their crop, and pay nothing for taking part in the programme.
By working with a strict Code of Conduct, UTZ Certified
sets stringent requirements for the farmers when it comes to
the sustainable growing of coffee, cocoa and tea. Farmers are
trained in the area of business skills, labour conditions and
environmental management, and their operational management
is checked by independent third parties. The UTZ Certified
tracking system subsequently guarantees that the raw
materials have actually been grown and harvested in a
responsible manner.
projeCt on Coffee waste and
biogas
Using coffee waste water to produce biogas and then use
the energy within the coffee supply chain appears to be a
viable option to consider. Methane is generated from coffee
waste by anaerobic bacteria. Methane gas can be used for
various purposes; specifically in coffee processing, it has been
proposed to use it to generate electrical energy in a dual fuel
setup, substituting up to 70 per cent of the diesel used in
the generator of the pulping machine. It can also be used to
generate a substantial amount of the heat needed to dry the
processed coffee, or can substitute other fuels such as the
ones used for kitchen stoves.
The goal of the project Energy from Coffee Waste in Central
America is to use the coffee waste water to produce biogas in
a controlled way, thereby avoiding the emission of methane
from fermentation of coffee waste, and then use the biogas
produced as an energy source. To achieve this goal, the project
is focused on building experience of the optimisation and
standardisation of the coffee waste bioreactors and digesters
under the prevailing conditions in Central America. Based
on the findings of the project, the plan is to later make the
technology available to a large number of coffee processors.
table 1. produCtion and pollution for
the three types of produCer
Est. green Est. biogas
coffee production
production (m 3 per day)
Large exporter 1,361-2,268 2,000
Co-operative, central mill 27.21 30-40
Co-operative, smallholders 11.47 (average) 3-4
127 climateactionprogramme.org