Coffee Biomass
Upcycling cell biomass from fermented coffee oil into the compounding of biopolymer and coffee grounds
Lead Organization: Grounded ApS
Project Period: June 2025 – May 2026
Project Status: Finalized
Pool: TRACE Pool 3.2, TRACE Booster
The TRACE Booster project Coffee Biomass aims to develop a sustainable disposable cup made from 100% waste materials, including spent coffee grounds and cell biomass from bioplastic production. By replacing refined biopolymers with untreated biomass, the project reduces CO₂ emissions, resource use, and production costs. It demonstrates how waste can be upcycled into valuable products within a circular economy.
Participating partners: Grounded ApS, Danish Technological Institute
Results
What if your next cup of coffee was served in a cup made entirely from coffee grounds?
In a new and groundbreaking project under the circular economy initiative TRACE, supported by the Innovation Fund Denmark, the Danish company Grounded ApS, in collaboration with the Danish Technological Institute, has cracked the code: they have created the world's first material made entirely from coffee waste.
The project focused on fermenting the oil that can be extracted from spent coffee grounds. During the fermentation process, bacterial strains use the oil as a nutrient source to produce a green and fully biodegradable alternative to conventional plastics.
By also utilizing excess bacterial biomass and the de-oiled coffee grounds as a natural filler, the process ensures that nothing goes to waste.
Tests of the material showed that it could be melted and hardened just as effectively as traditional plastic, making the project a success in its own right.
During the project, enough material was produced to mold a small number of espresso cups. The next goal is to scale up the process to a level where sufficient material can be fermented to replace plastic in a small production batch.
Project Leader
Marcus Byrgesen
Mail: mb@groundedcups.com
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