Burning coffee and reducing carbon dioxide

Some of the most meaningful advances in environmental problems fly under the radar.  So if “Development of a biomass charcoal combustion heater for household utilization” doesn’t sound like a groundbreaking paper, consider a catchier title: “Smart folks offer plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide energy with renewable resources.”

That’s the idea of a new study published in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.  And it’s relevant because Asian countries like Japan have millions of households with charcoal heating – so by improving the efficiency of these heaters, it will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide burned and the amount of biomass used.

The two main ways the researchers achieved greater efficiency were using a thin layer of charcoal and fuel that converted a high ratio of the mass to heat.  Additionally, the fuels come from sustainable sources: waste from wood processing, coffee beans, and soybean fiber.  Most of the biomass stoves in the U.S. have an efficiency of 46-54%, while the new design reaches efficiencies of 60-81%.

To reduce carbon dioxide emissions, we need smart ways to get more from our limited resources.  This study, along with similar efforts to increase the efficiency of some of the dirtiest engines in developing countries, probably won’t make headlines.  But it represents some of best hope for rapidly reducing our impact on the environment and slowing climate change.

Click here to read the article.