Phil Drapeau, Keurig's senior vice president of Future Coffee Systems, said the partnership with Delica was a way to accelerate Keurig's long-standing research timeline. “I think he's been working on this process for four or five years at this point,” Drapeau says. “Working with Delica has allowed us to accelerate and accelerate development with a focus on adapting our technology to North American consumers.”
environmental benefits
Standard non-compostable K-cups have to be disposed of, creating an environmental issue. But the benefits of K-Round go beyond just removing potential pollutants and the carbon footprint of plastic manufacturing from the environment. Cultivating the seaweed and algae needed to make the new K rounds has some real benefits, says Eleftheria Lomeli, assistant professor at the University of Washington's Institute for Molecular Engineering Sciences.
“Algae photosynthesize, so they absorb CO2,” Lomeli says. “That's why there's so much incentive right now. The U.S. government alone costs I don't know millions of dollars to grow algae, but it's because it's such a great carbon sequestration mechanism.” The natural process of cultivating algae for such purposes increases the amount of carbon captured from the atmosphere. “This is a really great option because… [the algae is a] Since it is a natural carbohydrate, there is no problem even if it breaks down in the environment. Scientifically it's nothing new, but in practical terms it's somewhat important to do this. ”
If people dump large amounts of K-rounds or coffee grounds in certain areas, such as backyards, it can cause problems in the future. Roumeli says that, like using too much fertilizer or biochar, accumulating too much in one area can disturb the ecosystem. However, it would still be better than the current situation.
“There's no doubt that the benefits completely outweigh the negatives,” Lomeli said. “One of the best things is that we have something that can be regenerated during its lifetime.” But it has to blend in with the local environment, so companies decide where to grow their algae. She warns that you need to do your research first.
Keurig says it plans to fine-tune both products based on customer feedback before releasing them to a wider audience. Keurig Alta and K-Rounds will begin beta testing this fall, and you can sign up here.