Arabic coffee residue: Oil Content and Prospects for recycling in Kuwait

Ghanima Al-Sharrah, Heba Al-Helailah and Maryam Al-Asousi

Abstract

Arabic coffee is a daily traditional drink in Kuwait and Arabian Peninsula countries. Scientific studies indicated the presence of oil in this coffee waste. The oil extracted from coffee has many health and industrial uses. This study evaluates Arabic coffee consumption in Kuwait through a survey and then studies oil extraction efficiency from the waste coffee ground. Results of the cross-sectional survey showed that most study participants consume Arabic coffee at least four times a week, and about half of the respondents were prompt to keep the waste for further treatment. Experimental extraction showed that the amount of oil isolated from plain coffee waste was higher when no additives were added. Cardamom and other coffee additives work as emulsifiers to enhance oil leaching in coffee preparation; in other words, less oil is left in the spent coffee grounds.