본 연구는 SCGPA(Spent Coffee Grounds Pellet Ash)를 활용하여 다양한 혼합비율로 시멘트 복합체를 제작함으로써 SCGPA 의 신규 건설 재료로서의 적용 가능성을 확인하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 강도 시험 결과, 28일 압축강도 36.31 MPa 및 휨강도 12 MPa 를 나타낸 혼합비가 최적 혼합비로 도출되었으며, SCGPA의 시멘트 치환율이 증가함에 따라 복합체의 전반적인 강도 특성이 감소하는 경향성을 발견하였다. SEM 및 XRD 분석 결과, SCGPA는 최대 10%의 적절한 치환율을 적용할 경우 큰 강도의 저하를 일으키지 않고 시멘트 대체재로 기능할 수 있음이 확인되었다. 본 연구 결과를 바탕으로, 고품질의 굵은 골재를 함께 사용하여 콘크리트를 생산할 경 우, 30 MPa 이상의 압축강도를 가진 구조용 콘크리트도 제조할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

During the past few decades, significant increase in the consumption of coffee has led to rapid increase in the production of coffee waste in South Korea. Spent coffee waste is often treated as a general waste and is directly disposed without the necessary treatment. Spent Coffee Grounds (SCGs) can release several organic contaminants, including caffeine. In this study, leaching tests were conducted for SCGs and oxidative degradation of caffeine were also conducted. The tested SCGs contained approximately 4.4 mg caffeine per gram of coffee waste. Results from the leaching tests show that approximately 90% of the caffeine can be extracted at each step during sequential extraction. Advanced oxidation methods for the degradation of caffeine, such as UV/H2O2, photo-Fenton reaction, and UV/O3, were tested. UV radiation has a limited effect on the degradation of caffeine. In particular, UV-A and UV-B radiations present in sunlight cause marginal degradation, thereby indicating that natural degradation of caffeine is minimal. However, O3 can cause rapid degradation of caffeine, and the values of pseudo-first order rate constants were found to be ranging from 0.817min-1 to 1.506 min-1 when the ozone generation rate was 37.1 g/m3. Additionally, the degradation rate of caffeine is dependent on the wavelength of irradiation.