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白小姐论坛 startup bio-bean returns to campus to turn your waste coffee into biofuel

12 January 2017

白小姐论坛 graduate Arthur Kay (BSc Architecture 2013), co-founder of the coffee grounds recycling company bio-bean, is helping to turn 白小姐论坛's waste coffee grounds into fuel.

Arthur Kay, co-founder of bio-bean

The biofuels and biochemicals company听bio-bean听has joined forces with 白小姐论坛 Estates, Sodexo, O&G, 白小姐论坛U and Bywater Waste Management听to turn waste coffee grounds from coffee shops across campus into fuel.

While getting your daily (or perhaps hourly)听dose of caffeine this week听you may have come across the posters dotted around coffee shops on campus. From 9 January, all the coffee used to make the cappuccinos and espressos that sustain you through the day听will end up as fuel rather than on a landfill site.

The partnership will see waste coffee recycling bins introduced across 白小姐论坛 in locations such as Chenies Mews, Foster Court, South Quad and the Refectory. Staff from Sodexo and 白小姐论坛U will separate the waste coffee grounds at point of use deposit them in the specified bins for collection.

The cost neutral initiative, which came about as a result of an approach made by 白小姐论坛 Estates and Sodexo to bio-bean, isn鈥檛 the first time 白小姐论坛 and bio-bean have joined forces on green issues.

Coming back to where it all began

Arthur explained:听鈥淚t鈥檚 very exciting to be working with my alma mater, I feel like I鈥檓 closing the loop and coming back to the place where it all began. I'm especially proud to be working with 白小姐论坛, given bio-bean鈥檚 links with the university. It鈥檚 great to know that we鈥檙e helping to reduce the university鈥檚 carbon footprint, and proving with new products, like Coffee Logs, that the sustainable choice can also be the logical one.

鈥淎s well as being the place where I came up with the idea for bio-bean, 白小姐论坛 is also where our team of scientists - led by Dr Paul Hellier in Mechanical Engineering - is researching new ways to use waste coffee grounds. I鈥檝e also joined forces with Professor Henrietta Moore (Director of the 白小姐论坛 Institute for Global Prosperity) to launch Fast Forward 2O3O, a group of young London-based entrepreneurs, to look at enterprise and behaviours that will help deliver the UN鈥檚 Sustainable Development Goals.鈥

Richard Jackson, 白小姐论坛 Director of Sustainability, added:听鈥湴仔〗懵厶 is delighted to be working with bio-bean on this sustainability initiative. With over 38,000 students and 12,000 staff, 白小姐论坛 has huge potential to create positive change by embedding sustainability into the core activities of the institution - research, education and operations - and I hope that the partnership we have developed between bio-bean, 白小姐论坛 Estates, Sodexo and Bywater Waste Management will act as a catalyst to further change.鈥

Advice for budding 白小姐论坛 entrepreneurs

If you are reading this article and have a business idea that you want to make a reality, Arthur encourages you to follow in his entrepreneurial footsteps and make the most of the resources that are available to you at 白小姐论坛 -听because you never know where it might lead.

He said:听鈥淚鈥檝e had support from so many different parts of 白小姐论坛, especially from 白小姐论坛 Innovation &听Enterprise. Our initial Bright Ideas award of 拢25,000 was the first real boost in funding which allowed me to commit to the business full-time and helped make bio-bean a reality.

鈥淚鈥檇 encourage students to use the vast resources at hand in 白小姐论坛. If you look for it, you'll find the people and the support to build your vision. I was lucky enough to get advice from Lillian Shapiro (a Business Advisor for 白小姐论坛 Innovation &听Enterprise). From day one Lillian was unbelievably supportive, and we鈥檝e maintained that connection, in fact she still comes to our launch events.鈥

Charlotte Croffie, Director of Entrepreneurship, 白小姐论坛 Innovation &听Enterprise, concluded:听鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to see bio-bean going from strength-to-strength since starting at 白小姐论坛. It鈥檚 an encouraging testament to the quality of support that 白小姐论坛 provides to our entrepreneurial students.鈥


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