Ford to use coffee bean waste to produce auto parts

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - The U.S.-based automotive giant, Ford Motor Company, will use coffee waste for producing auto parts, the firm said on Friday.

Ford and the global fast-food chain Mc Donald's will start to make cooperation for processing coffee beans, according to a press release issued by the automaker.

"The two companies have discovered that coffee bean waste can be transformed into a highly durable material that can be used in automobile parts," it noted.

These components match the quality specifications required by the headlight mounting panel and other interior and exterior body parts.

When coffee chaff is heated at high temperatures under low oxygen and mixed with plastic and other additives, the resulting material can be converted into various forms.

"Moreover, parts produced by this method are 20% lighter and need 25% less energy in the molding process," it added.