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RMIT researchers have turned coffee waste into 3D-printed architectural forms, opening a potential pathway towards more sustainable, low-carbon construction. The project brings together scientific, architectural and engineering expertise.

In Melbourne, coffee is a popular part of everyday life, yet the large amounts of spent grounds generated are usually discarded. The multidisciplinary team investigated how this coffee waste could be repurposed and used to enhance architectural materials and design.

Led by distinguished professor Baohua Jia from RMIT's School of Science and Dr. Nic Bao from the School of Architecture and Urban Design, the team developed a biodegradable 3D-printing filament that used coffee waste as a base.

The resulting architectural designs developed through the Waste to Form project were showcased at Melbourne Design Week, attracting positive feedback for their design and scent.

Jia said her team at the Center for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing (CAN) had been looking at how they could use existing materials wisely, particularly waste materials that are used in everyday life.

"We use a lot of 3D printing in our work, and that process typically uses a lot of plastics made from cornstarch or less eco-friendly materials," said Jia. "Given Melbourne is famous for its coffee culture, we thought this could be a good material to investigate.

"Coffee is a rich biomaterial and a good fertilizer, so we believed it could provide a promising base to make the new material biodegradable.

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