Researchers from the University of Guelph have produced the first-ever compostable pod for coffee and other beverages. The development, named the PurPod100, came from work between the university and Club Coffee, a Toronto-based coffee roaster. The work was supported by the university’s Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre (BDDC).
The PurPod100 is composed of plant-based resins, and is compatible with most Keurig brewing systems (including the Keurig 2.0), and is 100 per cent compostable. The pods were certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute—the largest independent certifier of compostable products in North America.
In a U of G news release, university president Franco Vaccarino hailed the work as showcasing the university’s strengths.
“This is a wonderful example of how research and innovation at the University of Guelph makes a difference around the world,” said Vaccarino. “We encourage exploration, collaboration, and sharing of new ideas to improve people’s lives. This successful partnership highlights how we use our discoveries to produce real solutions to real-life issues.”
BDDC director Amar Mohanty led one of the project teams that created a key piece of the pod. Using coffee chaff, the coffee bean skin lost in the roasting process, Mohanty’s team created a biodegradable ring to hold the pod in place in a coffee maker.
Mohanty spoke of the significance of the new product. “This innovative coffee pod not only addresses issues of environmental sustainability but also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels,” said Mohanty.
The PurPod100 also demonstrates the often collaborative nature of research, as the pod ring is made of resin developed by Competitive Green Technologies, a firm from Leamington, Ontario. U of G professor and BDDC researcher Manju Misra noted that cooperation among the different groups “enabled the technology to go to market and be scalable.”
The BDDC has used renewable agricultural products to find non-petroleum-based alternatives for a variety of uses since 2008. The centre receives support from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and other private and public partners.
Since 2010, single-serve coffee makers have come under scrutiny for the amount of waste that the machines produce in comparison to other production methods. Traditional coffee pods are non-biodegradable and non-recyclable, the latter due in part to the small size and composite nature of the pods. The amount of used cups sent to landfills in 2014 would circle the Earth 13 times.
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The Ontarion is the University of Guelph’s independent student newspaper. It began in 1951 as part of the Ontario Agricultural College and then began to represent the entire University of Guelph once it amalgamated in 1964. The Ontarion incorporated in May 1970 as The Ontarion, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation registered with the province of Ontario.