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Coffee Pulp Super-Charges Forest Growth

Updated: Nov 27

Extraordinary new study shows the positive impact on regrowing deforested areas.


The recovering forest 3 years after coffee pulp was applied to the area

Coffee production generates a significant amount of waste, with approximately 10 million tons of coffee pulp discarded into landfills worldwide every year. This waste can cause serious damage to soil and water sources when improperly disposed of. However, a study published in the British Ecological Society journal found that coffee pulp can have a positive impact on regrowing deforested areas.


Researchers from ETH-Zurich and the University of Hawaii spread 30 dump trucks worth of coffee pulp over a 100′ x 130′ area of degraded land in Costa Rica in 2018. The area treated with a thick layer of coffee pulp turned into a small forest in only two years, with an 80 percent canopy cover, compared to just 20 percent of the control area. This allowed for four times more rapid growth and reinvigorated biological activity in the area.


Truckload of coffee pulp being dumped on to the land

The coffee-treated area also eliminated an invasive species of grass that took over the land and prevented forest succession, allowing for other native species to take over and recolonize the area. This case study suggests that agricultural by-products can be used to speed up forest recovery on degraded tropical lands, and if the results are repeatable, it’s a win-win for coffee drinkers and the environment.


Researchers believe that coffee treatments can be a cost-effective way to reforest degraded land and may work to reverse the effects of climate change by supporting the growth of forests across the globe.

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