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Bioenergy Recovery from Coffee Waste via Synergistic Electro-Fermentation with Clostridium species
Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org
Citation: 2026 ASABE Annual International Meeting 2600038.(doi:10.13031/aim.202600038)Authors: Beenish Saba, Stephen A. Akinola, Thaddeus Ezeji, Katrina Cornish
Keywords: Food waste, electrofermentation, conventional fermentation, biofuel, bioenergy
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Abstract
The biomanufacturing of butanol from industrial biowaste offers substantial potential for advancing sustainable biofuel technologies. Among these, biobutanol stands out as a promising next-generation biofuel due to its high energy content, compatibility with existing fuel infrastructure, and reduced environmental footprint. This study investigates the synergistic co-cultivation of Clostridium species to enhance butanol production during the electrofermentation (EF) of coffee waste—a readily available lignocellulosic byproduct. Alongside butanol, acetone and ethanol were co-produced, contributing to an overall acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) yield. Under a controlled electrochemical condition of –0.2 V applied voltage, microbial electrosynthesis achieved a butanol concentration of 12.8 g/L, with a total ABE production of 17.5 g/L. Remarkably, this represents nearly a twofold increase in butanol yield compared to conventional fermentation processes utilizing similar waste substrates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that the integration of co-culturing with electrofermentation can significantly enhance biobutanol production from industrial waste, offering a scalable and eco-efficient approach for biofuel generation.
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