Eco-efficient robusta honey coffee process for energy and water footprint reduction: A life cycle assessment

Abstract

The pulped natural/honey coffee process is an innovative, greener method for post-harvest coffee processing, integrating the best aspects of natural and washed coffee methods by extending the fermentation and drying stages, resulting in enhanced product quality correlated to conventional procedures. This study evaluated the environmental impacts of honey (HC) and washed coffee (WC) process through a life cycle perspective, focusing on water and energy footprint. The findings revealed that water consumption in the HC method was substantially reduced by 87.5 % to that of WC. HC unveiled a reduction in global warming potential (kg CO₂ eq) by 94.78 %, compared to the WC process. The WC and HC water usage accounted for 98.33 % and 5.03 % of the global warming potential. Regarding ecotoxicity effects, the HC technique is a sustainable approach with insignificant impacts on marine aquatic ecotoxicity and human toxicity potential, at 5.20 % and 5.23 %. Besides, the coffee husks obtained as a by-product from the HC and WC process indicated 88.2 % and 66.9 % fermentation efficiency for bioethanol production. This study underscores the importance of environmental issues regarding food manufacturing, particularly in HC, which offers premium quality, lower water and energy consumption, and efficient by-product utilization, ultimately reducing environmental impacts throughout the technique.