K-CUP RECYCLING
50,000 pods/per week – Population: 7,275 =6.8 pods per person per week.
Based on low usage of 6.8 pods per person Alberta uses 29.7 million pods per week (1.55 billion per year)
It is estimated that over 1.5 billion k-cups are landfilled in Alberta every year!
K-Cup Recycling Story!
K-Cup Breakdown o Packaging – 4 grams o Coffee (56% h2o) – 23 grams o Dry coffee per K-Cup = 10 grams o Total weight = 27 grams o 16.8 used K-Cups per pound o 1 billion k-cups represents 23,000 tonnes of organic waste in landfill o Calorific value 10,000 btu (2.93 kw) per pound
K-Cup Recycling Tote – 1,100 lbs. each Coffee Company #1: 409 totes Coffee Company #2: 54 totes Coffee Company #4: 152 totes Total Totes recycled: 615 615 x 1,100 = 676,500 lbs. (307.5 metric tonnes) Number K-cups per tote = 18,500 Organic material (dry wt.) per tote = 410.3 BTU per tote: 4,103,000 (1,202 kw)
Average = 53.3% /lb.
1 lb. in landfill (dry wt.) = .533 lbs. carbon Anaerobic decomposition: 50% CO2 - 50% CH4 Formula: [.533 x 50%] + [.533 x 50% x 23] = 6.4 lbs./CO2e /lb. in landfill (dry wt.)(2.37 wet wt.)
Landfill methane avoided (Nov 30, 2019) = 615 totes x 410.3 (dry wt.) x 6.4 = 1,615,000 lbs. CO2e diverted {734 metric tonnes}.
Clean burning biomass derived from dried coffee grinds = 10,000 btu/lb. When used to replace natural gas as the energy source derives 9.84 metric tonnes of CO2e offsets per metric tonne of dried coffee grinds. 615 totes x 410.3 lbs. dry coffee biomass x 9.84 metric = 1,129 metric tonnes CO2e diverted. x
Coffee grinds from used K-Cups converted to biomass briquettes.
Landfill CO2e avoided = 734 metric tonnes. Natural Gas CO2e offset from using as biomass energy = 1,129 metric tonnes. Total offset 734 + 1,129 = 1,863 metric tonnes CO2 Market price @ $30 metric tonne 1,863 x $30 = $55,890. Volume in Alberta per year 1.55 billion (83,784 totes). Tonnes CO2e potential offset per year: 83,784 x 3.03 (multiplier ~ 1,863/615 totes) = 253,866 metric tonnes CO2e = $7,616,000.
Green Production Facility
Converting used K-Cups to clean burning biomass: 83,784 totes x 410.3 lbs./dry per tote @ 10,000 btu/lb. =353,000 potential gigajoules x $6.50 = $2.3 million in potential energy.
SCALING UP
Charge a $.05 deposit on each K-Cup. Manage the program through the existing bottle recycling infrastructure.
29.7 million pods per week / 220 Bottle Depots = 135,000 pods/week = 7.3 totes per depot. (8,000 lbs. @ 56% H2O = 4,480 lbs. H2O dehydrated per week).
In-Line shredder/rapid dehydrator /separator Cost: $89,500 ea. per system x 220 = $19,600,000 ~ 7 year lease
24/12 Rapid Dehydration System
Units Kw used per unit per year Total KW year x 220 units Price KW$ Total $$ per year x 220 units Lease Total Cost
$ $ $ $
220 35,000 7,700,000 0.15 1,155,000 3,660,000 4,815,000
220 units Operating KW $$ Capital Cost Total
$ $ $
Year 1 1,155,000 $ 3,660,000 $ 4,815,000 $
Year 2 1,155,000 $ 3,660,000 $ 4,815,000 $
Landfill Methane Offset Natural Gas GHG offset Energy use reduction Natural Gas Total Savings / Offsets
$ $ $ $
2,994,720 4,606,320 2,300,000 9,901,040
Diiference
$ (5,086,040) $ (7,619,720) $ (10,153,400) $ (10,153,400) $ (10,153,400) $ (10,153,400) $ (10,153,400) $ (13,813,400)
$ 3,992,960 $ 6,141,760 $ 2,300,000 $ 12,434,720
Year 3 1,155,000 $ 3,660,000 $ 4,815,000 $
$ 4,991,200 $ 7,677,200 $ 2,300,000 $ 14,968,400
Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 1,155,000 $ 1,155,000 $ 1,155,000 $ 1,155,000 $ 3,660,000 $ 3,660,000 $ 3,660,000 $ 3,660,000 $ 4,815,000 $ 4,815,000 $ 4,815,000 $ 4,815,000 $
$ 4,991,200 $ 7,677,200 $ 2,300,000 $ 14,968,400
$ 4,991,200 $ 7,677,200 $ 2,300,000 $ 14,968,400
$ $ $ $
4,991,200 7,677,200 2,300,000 14,968,400
$ 4,991,200 $ 7,677,200 $ 2,300,000 $ 14,968,400
Year 8 1,155,000 1,155,000
$ 4,991,200 $ 7,677,200 $ 2,300,000 $ 14,968,400
3D PRINTING WITH WASTE PLASTICS FROM K-CUPS
LANDFILL METHANE CH4 23,000 metric tonnes of waste coffee grounds contributes 60,000 metric tonnes of CO2 pollution.
Waste Characterization
Relatively Inert Moderately Decomposable Decomposable
Methane Generation Potential L0 (m3 methane/tonne) 20 120 160
Methane gas density: .6557 kg/m3 (source = BC Gov. )
160 x .6557 x 25 (CH4 = 25x times more than CO2e)/1,000 = 2.6 metric tonnes CO2e diverted per metric tonne food waste. Carbon cost @ $50mt = $50mt x 2.6 = $130 mt
1 metric tonne of waste coffee grinds dehydrates to 320kg of usable biomass. Dry coffee = 10,000 btu/lb
Waste coffee from K-cups equates to 7,360 tonnes biomass.
Combustion of biomass displaces natural gas as the fuel. Carbon dioxide emissions are deemed to be “carbon neutral� in most GHG programs because the carbon dioxide is part of the carbon-cycle. Based on 8,610 BTU per pound the emission reduction is .00387 tonnes carbon dioxide per pound of biomass combusted (8.5 tonnes CO2e per metric tonne of biomass). Brightspot Climate Inc.
K-CUP RECYCLING SERVICE
Customer Location
www.ExecutiveMat.ca 1-877-720-6287
Addressing climate change one K-Cup at a time!