Spent coffee grounds remove up to 98% of lead and metals from water

Researchers at Loughborough University have demonstrated that spent coffee grounds, both in raw form and as biochar, can effectively remove toxic heavy metals such as lead, copper, and zinc from contaminated water. By heating used coffee grounds to produce biochar, the team achieved up to 98% removal of lead, with each gram of biochar adsorbing up to 4.9 milligrams of lead. This process is low-cost, sustainable, and enhances the adsorption capacity of the coffee waste while keeping environmental impact minimal. In a complementary study, untreated coffee grounds were shown to effectively remove copper and zinc at low concentrations, offering a simpler, energy-efficient method for water purification. Additionally, blending coffee waste with rice husk improved removal efficiency at higher metal concentrations, achieving over 96% metal removal. These findings highlight the potential of coffee waste as an abundant, affordable, and eco-friendly material for large-scale water treatment, supporting circular economy practices by reducing landfill waste and addressing environmental pollution. The research