Coffee ground burner - natural insect repellent
This project was part of a class that I took at UIC in Spring 2019 where we worked in collaboration with a New York based retail partner called Uncommon Goods.
Coffee Urn, photo credit: Theodore Burdett (UIC). Prototype built by Chinese manufacturer.
The Surprise find
An unexpected use for coffee
During the secondary research for my thesis project about food waste, I came across a very interesting fact that thousands of tonnes of wasted coffee grounds end up in landfills.
According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), used coffee grounds are potent bug repellents due to the strong smell. This smell get stronger when coffee grounds are burned and the smoke spreads.
Bug repellents can be toxic
While there are many bug repellents in the market, the amount of chemicals in them can be harmful to breathe and toxic for the environment as well.
Testing and interviews
I found out that an object that is specifically used for the purpose of burning coffee to repel bugs does not exist in the market. I wanted to see the effect of burning coffee myself and so I started the design process with simply placing some used coffee grounds on some aluminum foil and burning it.
I also conducted informal interviews with acquaintances who already use this method to repel bugs. They reported that when they use this method, they remain bug free in their homes for up to two days. This was an encouraging information as I pursued the design further.
Ideation
During the ideation stage, I sketched out various ideas for the form and the different ways that the object could live in the home as a beautiful piece while still being functional. I started thinking of a playful form that would be intriguing, thus raising curiosity and making it a conversation piece to raising more awareness.
A design challenge
One of the challenges of the project was to figure out a way so that the user wouldn’t need to bring in external material such as aluminium foil into the object before every use. I also wanted to ensure ease of use and safety when it actually came to burning the coffee without burning ones hand.
A simple solution was to place a stainless steel tea infuser that was dismantled and glued to the middle tray of the final form with an opening so that the fire could be introduced from both below and above with a lighter/match.
Final form
This is a 3D rendering of the final form that is reminiscent of a little UFO. It is intended to be made completely out of ceramic with space for storing the grounds that are not used. There is an opening for the stainless steel strainer where the coffee grounds are meant to be placed when in use so that they can be burned. The top cover has “windows” through which smoke can escape and spread across the surrounding.
Prototype
I got a prototype of the object made from a manufacturing company in Kentucky. The bright colors were the results of experimentation and learning experience with working with a manufacturer for the first time. I plan on continuing to make further prototypes of the object in future iterations.
Beyond
The coffee urn was exhibited at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in May 2019 as part of the UIC + Uncommon Goods collaboration booth. The conference was visited by thousands of attendees over the course of 5 days and the coffee urn garnered great interest.