We’ve told you about several eco-friendly uses for coffee grounds – powering electronics, growing gourmet mushrooms and, of course, adding them to the compost pile.
But over in a Durham, England, an engineer and group of volunteers have found a way to convert old coffee grounds collected from local shops into fuel to power a car.
Earlier this month, the coffee car sped up to 66.5 mph and broke a Guinness World Record for vehicles run on organic waste, beating out last year’s record of 47.7 mph by a wood-burning car, according to CNET.
To modify a car to run on coffee grounds, the coffee car team equipped the vehicle with a gasifier that burns organic material at high temperatures. When the coffee grounds are burned, they produce combustible gases, which, after cleaning and cooling, are used to fuel an adapted combustion engine.
The team also removed more than 550 pounds of excess weight from inside the vehicle to improve the car’s speed.
Last year, the coffee car garnered its first Guinness World Record for the longest distance driven by a coffee-powered car.
READ: Driving 2.0: Is There a Better Fuel Option?
Homepage image: Flickr/avlxyz
We’ve told you about several eco-friendly uses for coffee grounds – powering electronics, growing gourmet mushrooms and, of course, adding them to the compost pile.
But over in a Durham, England, an engineer and group of volunteers have found a way to convert old coffee grounds collected from local shops into fuel to power a car.
Earlier this month, the coffee car sped up to 66.5 mph and broke a Guinness World Record for vehicles run on organic waste, beating out last year’s record of 47.7 mph by a wood-burning car, according to CNET.
To modify a car to run on coffee grounds, the coffee car team equipped the vehicle with a gasifier that burns organic material at high temperatures. When the coffee grounds are burned, they produce combustible gases, which, after cleaning and cooling, are used to fuel an adapted combustion engine.
The team also removed more than 550 pounds of excess weight from inside the vehicle to improve the car’s speed, CNET reported.
Last year, the coffee car garnered its first Guinness World Record for the longest distance driven by a coffee-powered car.
READ: Driving 2.0: Is There a Better Fuel Option?
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