Coffee grounds foam can clean contaminated water

Today is the day you get to add one more thing to the list on why you should keep drinking your delicious coffee every morning.  Besides just waking up to that magical smell you will also be saving the world by pouring yourself a cup of freshly brewed coffee.In a recent publication in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, researchers explain how foam made from coffee grounds can be used to solve water pollution.  According to scientist Despina Fragouli, millions of tons of coffee waste is produced every year throughout the world. Even though some people do reuse coffee ground in compost or mixed in animal food, the vast majority goes to the landfill where all its properties go to waste. Researchers found out a while ago that coffee can separate heavy metal ions from water, but the problem of separating the coffee from the clean water still remained. In this recent study, Fragouli et al. came up with bioelastomeric foam made of 60% coffee grounds ad 40% silicone elastomer. The experiments conducted to test the foam involved mercury and lead, which tend to pose many health issues. These experiments were successful and removed most of the ions from the water. The advantage of using this foam over just coffee grounds powder is that it can absorb the toxic impurities from the water and it can also be easily removed, leaving clear unpolluted water behind. This also makes it easier to safely dispose of the contaminated foam.