Coffee Waste Bricks
Swinburne University of Technology Turns Coffee Waste into Sustainable Bricks
Kanesa D — July 3, 2025
Researchers at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne have developed an innovative solution to combat the waste made from used coffee grounds. The team has successfully transformed this waste into environmentally friendly building bricks that offer both performance and significantly reduced emissions.
Led by Dr. Yat Wong, the project was driven by a mission to divert coffee grounds from landfill and repurpose them into a practical, scalable material for the construction industry. The result is a novel brick made by combining spent coffee grounds from local cafés and restaurants with clay and an alkali activator. This unique blend allows the bricks to be cured at just 200°C—an energy-efficient process that reduces firing temperatures by up to 80% compared to traditional methods.
The project has now reached a key commercial milestone with the signing of an intellectual property licensing agreement with Green Brick, a sustainable construction company committed to advancing eco-friendly materials.
“It’s lighter on energy, faster to produce, and designed to reduce electricity-related CO₂ emissions by up to 80 per cent per unit,” says Dr Wong.
