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Coffee concrete wins national research award

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04 Mar, 2025

This post was originally published on Sustainability Matters

RMIT University’s coffee concrete inventors have won an award at Universities Australia’s Shaping Australia Awards in the ‘Problem Solver’ category.

Australia generates around 75,000 tonnes of ground coffee waste annually, contributing to 6.87 million tonnes of organic waste in landfills. This waste accounts for 3% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The coffee innovation, made by Dr Rajeev Roychand, Professor Jie Li, Associate Professor Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch, Dr Mohammad Saberian, Professor Guomin (Kevin) Zhang and Professor Chun Qing Li, strengthens concrete by 30% using biochar made from spent coffee grounds, reducing this waste going to landfill. The coffee biochar can replace a portion of the sand that is used to make concrete.

Roychand and Li received the Problem Solver 2024 People’s Choice Winner award on behalf of the team at Parliament House in Canberra. Roychand, the lead inventor of the coffee concrete, said the team was thrilled to win the award.

“Winning this national award is outstanding recognition of our vision to transform waste materials into valuable construction resources,” said Roychand, from the School of Engineering.

“What began as research into coffee grounds has now evolved into a comprehensive program converting various types of organic waste into biochar that could help reshape the environmental footprint of the built environment.”

Dr Rajeev Roychand (left) and Professor Jie Li (right) celebrate their national research award with RMIT Vice-Chancellor Professor Alec Cameron at Parliament House in Canberra. Image: Supplied.

Within a year, the team progressed from the lab to real-world applications with industry and government partners, including a footpath trial in Gisborne, Victoria.

The team’s coffee concrete is also being used in Victoria’s ‘Big Build’ projects and is displayed in Germany’s prestigious Futurium museum as an innovative material for a sustainable future.

Li said their research advanced sustainable construction, enabling the transformation of diverse organic waste streams into high-performance construction materials.

“This Australian-led innovation demonstrates how we can pioneer solutions for global environmental challenges,” Li said.

Kilmartin-Lynch, a proud Taungurung man from Mansfield in Victoria, was at RMIT when the School of Engineering team conducted this research and is now at Monash University.

“By integrating the circular economy with advanced materials engineering, we’re creating new pathways for reducing carbon emissions while enhancing structural performance,” said Kilmartin-Lynch.

Saberian said their innovation came at a crucial time with global sand demand projected to rise by 45% over the next four decades.

“We’re not only addressing waste management but also helping preserve this increasingly scarce natural resource that is vital for construction worldwide,” Saberian said.

Following the success of the research, the team has expanded its collaboration with industry leaders both locally and internationally, including RMIT’s partnership with Ambiolock in Australia and C-Green in Sweden.

‘Transforming spent coffee grounds into a valuable resource for the enhancement of concrete strength’ is published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.

Image caption: Coffee biochar for concrete.

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Canadian Solar and Flow Power to install anti-hail solar

Canadian Solar and Flow Power to install anti-hail solar

Canadian Solar and Flow Power have teamed up to deliver the first Flow Power solar project featuring Canadian Solar’s anti-hail modules.

This project will also mark the first deployment of Canadian Solar’s anti-hail technology in Australia.

Set to be delivered in 2025, the South Australian solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) in Coonawarra will provide increased protection for solar panels in extreme weather conditions.

Developed through extensive testing, the company’s anti-hail technology is said to help safeguard solar panels from severe weather, including hailstorms. This is part of Canadian Solar’s commitment to providing durable, high-performance solutions for renewable energy projects in some of the world’s challenging environments.

Based in the Coonawarra wine region, Flow Power’s first project to utilise the technology will be a solar farm paired with a DC-coupled BESS. This project will be the first of many sites where Canadian Solar and Flow Power collaborate to install the company’s anti-hail technology across the country.

“We’re excited to be using Canadian Solar’s TOPCon anti-hail panels in our upcoming energy projects,” said Tom Harrison, Flow Power’s General Manager Energy Projects.

“At Flow Power, we are committed to innovation, and we always work to make each new project better than the last. That includes building smarter, more resilient energy solutions, and the Coonawarra Energy Project is a testament to that mission. By integrating anti-hail technology into our solar farms, we are not only enhancing the durability of our assets, but also ensuring greater reliability for our customers, even in extreme weather conditions.”

“We are proud to partner with Flow Power to bring our advanced anti-hail solar panels to Australian energy projects,” said Dr Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar. “This first project highlights our commitment to providing innovative solutions that enhance the durability and performance of solar energy systems in Australia.”

The first phase of the Coonawarra Energy Project will begin soon, with the solar modules set to be installed in the coming months.

Image credit: iStock.com/Ihor Kochet

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