Concrete Gets a Caffeine Boost - On a Lighter Note!

From Espresso to Infrastructure: Coffee Grounds for Greener Gardens and Stronger Concrete??

When it comes to sustainability, sometimes the answers lie right under our noses—or in this case, in our morning brew! Imagine that the coffee grounds you sprinkle around your plants might soon end up in the footpaths we walk on. As someone passionate about concrete and a bit of a garden enthusiast, I couldn’t help but perk up at the recent news that coffee grounds are finding their way into both.

Concrete Gets a Caffeine Boost: RMIT’s Coffee Grounds Project

An innovative team from RMIT University in Melbourne has made headlines by turning spent coffee grounds into a key ingredient in concrete. This forward-thinking project has earned them a spot in the 2024 Shaping Australia Awards. By incorporating coffee grounds into concrete, they’re tackling two environmental issues at once: managing coffee waste and enhancing building materials. The coffee-infused concrete demonstrated a 30% increase in strength compared to traditional mixes! If widely adopted, this blend could even replace up to 90 million tonnes of sand, reducing our reliance on natural resources. But here’s where it gets intriguing—could we one day have concrete that’s as nutritious for our city sidewalks as coffee grounds are for garden plants? Now that’s a latte to think about.?

Polyester in Concrete: Fashion Meets Footpaths?

The sustainability buzz doesn’t end with coffee. Victoria University researchers have taken another creative leap by recycling high-visibility vests into concrete for footpaths. It’s a fun twist on fashion’s rapid pace, taking discarded safety vests and weaving them into urban infrastructure. These developments hint at a future where our pavements and structures are stitched together with unconventional, upcycled materials—talk about walking on “wearable” concrete!

Coffee Grounds and My Gardening Passion

While my professional focus is concrete, my weekends are often spent in the garden. I use coffee grounds as a natural fertilizer to give my plants an extra boost. They’re rich in nitrogen, iron, and other goodies that plants just love. I even put together a quick?YouTube video on how coffee grounds can transform your garden. Seeing these grounds now popping up in concrete is both surprising and inspiring.

There is also a myth that coffee grounds can increase soil acidity and lower the PH of the soil. ?However, in fact, after brewing the coffee grounds PH is close to neutral.

The Future of Concrete: Nutritious (and Acid-Free) Pavements?

These exciting innovations from RMIT and Victoria University have opened a whole new world of possibilities. Who knows, maybe we’ll soon see more research focused on the optimal “coffee blend” for concrete. While we’re at it, could we balance out the acidity in a way that doesn’t compromise the material’s integrity? The thought of pavements packed with the benefits of coffee grounds is intriguing, especially if they could offer concrete the “nutritional” kick they give to soil.

In All Seriousness…

All humour aside, projects like these are a fantastic reminder that sustainable innovation can come from unexpected places. Using coffee grounds and high-vis vests in concrete isn’t just about clever recycling; it’s about reimagining what our urban spaces are made of. Let’s keep an eye out for future breakthroughs—and maybe think twice before tossing out those coffee grounds!

https://www.beanscenemag.com.au/rmits-coffee-concrete-earns-shaping-australia-awards-nomination/

https://www.vu.edu.au/about-vu/news-events/news/making-concrete-an-answer-to-fast-fashion

Author: Hamid Khan is presently working as a Product Segment Specialist in Fosroc ANZ.??

Hamid Khan is a forensic engineering specialist and industry-recognised specialist in structural concrete repairs.? As the National Segment specialist, Hamid’s role is to harness high-performing technologies to respond to complex repairs and applications with 27 years of experience in the industry.

Working in the Fosroc International team in Dubai for 14 years, Hamid was able to see repair products in action on a vast range of projects in the Gulf, Middle East, Europe, and Asia.

Hamid’s trusted expertise is demonstrated by his regular speaking roles at industry conferences, seminars, and numerous published articles. He is the past director on the board of the Australasian Concrete Repair & Remedial Building Association (ACRA) and a past president of ACRA. Hamid actively participated in HB84:2018 Guide for Concrete Repair and Protection (A Joint publication of ACRA, CSIRO, and Standards Australia) and other industry courses.

Hamid holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a double master’s in business and Strategy from the University of Wollongong. He is certified in Concrete Technology and Construction by the City & Guilds of London Institute (UK)

?