Research Activity / Summative

Research Capsule

Jascien A. Entrina 9 – Special Science Curriculum

MY TOPIC: Using coffee grounds as fertilizer for plants

Topic : Make your own topic (5pts)

EXAMPLES:

1. Filtration of canal water (grade 11)

2. Effectiveness of banana peel as an alternative floor wax (grade 10)
3. Emergency use of power bank (grade 10)
4. Mosquito repellant (grade 11)

Researchable and can be experiment

Introduction: (5pts)
 Coffee grounds as fertilizer has been scientifically proven to help nourish the soil and
promote the healthy and fast growth of plants. Why is this so? Coffee grounds may be
a waste product of coffee brewing, but they still contain beneficial minerals your plants
will love. Analysis shows that coffee grounds include magnesium, potassium,
phosphorus, and is loved by worms because of the acidity. Don’t throw away your
coffee grounds again. Learn how to turn them into fertilizers to help nourish the plants
in your gardens, especially berries.

 Used coffee grounds are considered a potential threat to the environment if not
disposed of properly. Used Coffee grounds can release methane to the atmosphere,
which contributes to the global issue of climate change (Caetano et al. 2012). Applying
used coffee grounds as a fertilizer has been researched before, but has perpetually
remained a subject of debate. Some scientists claim coffee ground fertilizer (CGF) will
cause the soil to be too acidic and weaken plants (Hardgrove et al. 2016). Other
researchers believe the addition of CGF provides many essential nutrients like
nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus, and magnesium to the soil that make it more fertile for
plants (Crumbley 2009). Research also shows that used coffee grounds may act as a
 pesticide to repel pests (Crumbley 2009). Past research has tested used coffee
grounds in plant soil for water and heat retention (Oregon State University 2008). In
this project, different methods of used coffee ground applications were evaluated. In
addition, the quantity of used coffee ground added to eventually build the optimal
growth environment for plants was also investigated (See figure 1). Ocimum
Basilicum (Basil) is a very resilient, commonly seen, and quick growing herb (Correos
et al. 2018). In addition to its fast growth, basil is also positively affected by nitrogen,
which is heavily present in CGF (Matsumoto et al. 2013). Thus, for the purpose of this
experiment, Ocimum Basilicum was chosen as the plant to grow.

 Coffee grounds have to be collected fresh and not when they have started to have a
moldy smell or turn white or blueish. However, if you want just to add it to the soil
directly, you can still use it. But storing coffee grounds is the ideal thing to do because
you may not need to use it immediately. Storing it is a preservation process that
guarantees that you have coffee grounds as fertilizer anytime you want.

(3-5 paragraphs, not more than 1 page)

Introduce (1 to 2 paragraph)

The purpose of your study and the Research gap (3rd paragraph)

 Other researchers believe the addition of CGF provides many essential nutrients

like nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus, and magnesium to the soil that make it more
fertile for plants (Crumbley 2009). Research also shows that used coffee
grounds may act as a pesticide to repel pests (Crumbley 2009).

 Coffee is the favorite beverage in the world; therefore, this number always
increases every year. Consumption per ton of coffee beans can produce 650 kg of
coffee grounds. An estimated percentage of around 90% of the brewed coffee
ends up though in the form of Spent Coffee Grounds (SCG). SCG is characterized
by high organic content, 38% hemicelluloses and 9% cellulose, and 14% protein.
SCG still contains phenol compounds, tannins and caffeine. This compound is toxic
to nature and is a cause of environmental pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to
treat spent coffee grounds to reduce the toxic component by composting.
Composting is a simple and efficient way to convert waste into stable, non-toxic
and has good nutrition for soil and plants. It is generally equipped with heating
and agitating devices that promote biodegradation of organic materials by
microorganisms under neutral to alkaline conditions at moderate to high
temperatures (40˚C - 60˚C)
 In this study, composting of coffee grounds was added by the addition of some
fungi as starter culture with temperature control. The starter is an additional
material used in the early stages of the process fermentation. The starter is a
culture of certain microbes that are grown inside substrate or medium for specific
process purposes. The requirements for the fermentation starter are pure,
 superior, stable and not pathogenic. According to Utama et al. (2013)
requirements for fermentation, starters are safe to use and capable inhibits
pathogenic bacteria

Review of Related Literature: (min of

10 studies) 10pts 1pt / literature
 Whether you make your cup of coffee daily or you have noticed your local
coffee house has started to put out bags of used coffee, you may be
wondering about composting with coffee grounds.Composting with coffee is
a great way to make use of something that would otherwise end up taking
up space in a landfill. Composting coffee grounds helps to add nitrogen to
your compost pile. Composting coffee grounds is as easy as throwing the
used coffee grounds onto your compost pile.

 Used coffee filters can be composted as well. If you will be adding used
coffee grounds to your compost pile, keep in mind that they are considered
green compost material and will need to be balanced with the addition of
some brown compost material.Used coffee grounds for gardening does not
end with compost. Many people choose to place coffee grounds straight
onto the soil and use it as a fertilizer. The thing to keep in mind is while
coffee grounds add nitrogen to your compost, they will not immediately add
nitrogen to your soil. Information On Caring For Pothos Plants

 Coffee grounds as a fertilizer is that it adds organic material to the soil,

which improves drainage, water retention, and aeration in the soil. The used
coffee grounds will also help microorganisms beneficial to plant growth
thrive as well as attract earthworms. Many people feel that coffee
grounds lower the pH (or raise the acid level) of soil, which is good for acid
loving plants. This is only true for unwashed coffee grounds though. Fresh
coffee grounds are acidic. Used coffee grounds are neutral. If you rinse your
used coffee grounds, they will have a near neutral pH of 6.5 and will not
affect the acid levels of the soil. To use coffee grounds as fertilizer, work the
 coffee grounds into the soil around your plants. Leftover diluted coffee
works well like this too.

 For instance, you can sprinkle fresh coffee grounds around acid-loving plants
like azaleas, hydrangeas, blueberries, and lilies. Many vegetables like slightly
acidic soil, but tomatoes typically don’t respond well to the addition of
coffee grounds. Root crops, like radishes and carrots, on the other hand,
respond favorably — especially when mixed with the soil at planting time.

 Spent coffee grounds are increasingly recommended by

professionals and gardeners as a sustainable way to improve your
garden soil and provide nutrients to your plants. Claims include
improved soil structure, an ideal carbon to nitrogen ratio, improved
fertility and provision of nitrogen1. However, the scientific literature
has not sufficiently assessed the impacts on soil and plant
production.
 Recent research conducted by Dr Stephen Livesley and Sarah
Hardgrove from the University of Melbourne, has shown that fresh
(uncomposted) spent coffee grounds, applied directly to gardens, can
significantly decrease plant growth and development. This article
reviews the case for using spent coffee in the garden and describes
recent scientific findings and their implications.

(paraphrasing and citation)

Labra 2010, confirmed that… (1pt)
Reference: 5points
 https://compostbinhq.com/using-coffee-grounds-fertilizer-garden/
 https://www.futurescienceleaders.com/blog/2020/06/different-methods-of-coffee-ground-
fertilizer-application-and-their-effects-on-plant-growth/
 https://scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=107014
 https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/coffee-grounds-
gardening.htm