Shell and bio-bean are helping to power some of London’s buses using a biofuel made partly from waste coffee grounds, a development that has triggered renewed challenge to Nigerian beneficiaries of Shell’s LiveWIRE programme to join in the innovative search for bright energy ideas.

This latest Shell-bio-bean collaboration is part of Shell’s #makethefuture energy relay, which supports entrepreneurs turning bright energy innovations into a positive impact for communities around the world.

Shell and bio-bean

Managing Director, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie Okunbor, says he is excited about emerging energy ideas through innovations and collaborations supported by Shell’s LiveWIRE programme, and sees the potential of smart energy ideas being developed in Nigeria.

“By continuing the conversation on providing a wider, more sustainable mix of energy resources for the world’s growing population, Shell is provoking thoughts on tomorrow’s solution, and I see the potential for a replication of the bio-bean technology in Nigeria where more than 275 million cups of coffee are consumed in a year,” he said. “It is an indication that by rethinking our approach to waste, we can create smarter cities and a brighter future for our country.”

The bio-bean inventor, Arthur Kay, is a recipient of Shell’s LiveWIRE Innovation Award, which supports young entrepreneurs with pioneering ideas to create a brighter energy future. He described the bio-bean technology as “the fuel of choice for households looking for a high-performance, sustainable way to heat their homes – and now, with the support of Shell, bio-bean and Argent Energy have created thousands of litres of coffee-derived B20 biodiesel which will help power London buses for the first time.”

In its 14-year history in Nigeria, Shell’s LiveWIRE has produced hundreds of entrepreneurs who benefited from business training and start-up grants, making them employers of labour. Three of the past beneficiaries were recently nominated for the 2017 Shell group Top 10 Innovators award where two of them — Precious Adeho, owner of Emobella Engineering Nig Ltd, and Atalor Ngozi Deborah of De-rahbs Energy Services won in the merit category.

Nigeria has also benefited from innovations and inventions from Shell’s LiveWIRE with the building of Africa’s first human and solar powered football pitch at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos, unveiled in 2015 in collaboration with global music star, Akon.

The pitch uses Pavegen tiles invented by young British entrepreneur and Shell LiveWIRE beneficiary, Laurence Kemball-Cook, to convert power from footsteps into renewable that lights the pitch at night.

Over the years, SPDC has supported students from Nigeria universities to participate in the global Shell Eco-Marathon, a global competition that sees students design ultra-efficient cars, and challenges them to see which can travel furthest on one litre of fuel.

Shell believes by working together we can transform lives by bringing more and cleaner energy to communities, everywhere. Shell collaborates with inventors, local communities, engaged citizens and global celebrities to transform lives by putting bright energy ideas into action.

The Shell #makethefuture programme is not just talking about it but doing it – on the ground, day by day. Each of us has a role to play – as inventors, funders, volunteers, donators or vocal supporters.

London’s caffeine habit could soon provide an eco-friendly energy kick to its buses, including its iconic red double decker.

Some six thousand litres of oil extracted from ground coffee waste will be added to fuel tanks of the city’s transport authority on Monday — enough to power a bus for a whole year.

Behind the awareness-raising stunt is British start-up Bio-bean, which has been developing fuel from coffee waste grounds for four years, with financial and technical help from energy giant Royal Dutch Shell.

Londoners consume an average of 2.3 cups of coffee a day, contributing to 200,000 tonnes of mineral-rich coffee waste over the course of a year, according to data cited by Bio-bean.

“Instead of sending a tonne of waste coffee grounds to landfill where it degrades and releases methane and CO2, we collect it, recycle it and turn it into a renewable fuel which is then used to replace further conventional fuels — so it’s a double saving”, Bio-bean founder Arthur Kay told AFP at a recent presentation.

His green-energy company collects unwanted grounds, predominantly from London-based coffee shops, and processes them at it’s factory in nearby Cambridgeshire.

It sends the resulting coffee oil on to Argent Energy, the UK’s largest biofuel producer, which tops it up with a range of animal or vegetable fuels.

The final mix is made up of 80 percent traditional diesel, and 20 percent biofuel.

Replacing traditional fuel with this mixture can reduce the carbon emissions from bus journeys by 10 to 15 percent, without the need to modify engines or spend more, according to Bio-bean.

Londoners take more than two billion bus trips a year thanks to a 9,300-strong fleet of buses but only 2,000 of the vehicles are using alternative energy in the form of diesel-electric.

The coffee-enhanced mixture can meanwhile also be used by taxis, cars and trucks.

And Bio-bean has its sight set on continental Europe, in particular France, where some 38 billion cups of coffee are consumed every year.

“We’re not saying that it’s going to totally replace fossil fuels overnight,” Kay said.

“The amount of diesel produced globally is always going to be more than the amount of coffee.”

But the 27-year-old Stanford graduate wants to be part of a broader conversation about waste and recycling.

“We want to see an entrepreneur going and doing something cool with waste from beer, or from tea,” he explained.