Muscat – Two students from National University of Science and Technology (NUST) have developed a process to convert coffee waste into filters for wastewater treatment.
Manar al Attar and Anfal al Shezawi, both studying process engineering, aim to address environmental waste and decarbonisation challenges facing the country.
Their project, which focuses on creating activated carbon from used coffee grounds, was overseen by Dr Tahereh Jafary, Associate Professor at International Maritime College Oman, which is a part of NUST.
“Activated carbon is known for its high adsorption capacity, making it ideal for filtering contaminants from water. It can also be used in other applications such as producing electrodes for supercapacitors, sensors and batteries,” Tahereh informed.
The project recently secured RO10,000 as seed fund at the 2024 Upgrade Competition organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MoHERI). The competition supports innovative graduation projects that have the potential to become startups contributing to Oman’s economic growth.
Tahereh added that the project aligns with Oman Vision 2040, particularly its focus on environmental sustainability and economic diversification. “By transforming spent coffee grounds into activated carbon, the project addresses waste management and water scarcity, two critical challenges for Oman,” she said.
Coffee is a staple in Oman and across the Arab region, but the spent grounds from coffee production contribute to significant environmental problems, including methane emissions and harmful organic compounds that can contaminate soil and water. “This project seeks to repurpose this waste, turning it into a valuable resource for water treatment.”
The team has been working on the project since early 2022, continually improving the efficiency of activated carbon production. “We have made significant progress, but we are still refining the process and looking for ways to scale it up,” Tahereh said.
Support from MoHERI, in the form of the Undergraduate Research Grant, has been crucial to the project’s development. Manar and Anfal also won the MANAFA programme organised by Mawarid in 2022, which provided access to important research facilities. This backing helped move the project from concept to practical application.
In the future, Manar and Anfal plan to scale up production, which will require additional financial investment, industry partnerships and technical support. They hope their work will contribute to improving waste management and water treatment in Oman, helping to create a more sustainable and environmentally friendly economy.
