A jolt of java for your home
Used coffee grounds fuel tiny house
Not only does coffee fuel many Canadians — we drink an annual average of 152 litres per person, according to research company Euromonitor — but now it can also fuel tiny homes.
Coffee chain Dunkin’ (rebranded from Dunkin’ Donuts) has partnered with sustainable biochemical company Blue Marble Biomaterials to create an eco-friendly biofuel, reports Architectural Digest.
Machines first remove the extra oils in used coffee grounds and mix them with an alcohol that turns the product to biodiesel.
This is then refined into a fuel that a generator can burn to produce energy. For every 170 pounds (77 kilograms) of used coffee grounds, you can get about a gallon (4.5 litres) of fuel.
The product’s blend is roughly 80 per cent coffee oils and 20 per cent alcohol.
Dunkin’ tested the fuel by working with New Frontier Tiny Homes to create a 275-square-foot (25-square-metre) portable home, which features a kitchen, bathroom with a shower, Jacuzzi tub, washer-dryer, lofted bed, living room and fold-out patio. It even has air-conditioning.
Everything has been thoughtfully sourced, like the wood which is supposed to mimic the idea of a dark cup of coffee.
Actress Olivia Wilde helped design the interior, which features reclaimed wood siding and shiplap, subway tile, slate countertops and solid walnut floors.
“The architecture is incredible; it’s really innovative,” Wilde told Food & Wine. “I brought some accents to it so that it felt a little more like a home, but everything has been thoughtfully sourced, like the wood which is supposed to mimic the idea of a dark cup of coffee.”
The home can entertain up to 10 people. For a tour, watch the 360-degree video at DunkinAtHome.com.