Currently, at least 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide each year, producing at least 8 million tons of coffee grounds. Most coffee grounds are discarded, landfilled or incinerated along with other waste. There is also a part of coffee grounds that will directly enter urban sewage discharge through the sewer. Therefore, the disposal of coffee grounds as waste will not only consume a lot of energy but also cause certain harm to the environment. Nevertheless, this design follows the concept of sustainable design, exploring a new possibility for the treatment of coffee grounds.

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The innovative coloring technology used in COFFIRE lamp was derived from the ancient pit burning technology. During the low-temperature firing process at 700-1000°C, coffee grounds on the surface of the lamp will release biodiesel and sugar. Under the influence of temperature, humidity, coffee grounds’ concentration, and other variables, the interaction between the two substances will show a pink random texture on the surface of the lamp. Also, the traditional sandpits used in the pit burning process are replaced by gas kilns. First of all, it is easier to control gas kiln as a modern firing technology in terms of operation, achieving mass production and greatly improving the yield of lamp firing. Secondly, the gas kiln can be controlled at a constant temperature, so that the color of the fired lamp is more stable. Thirdly, since there are no trace elements in a gas kiln, the color saturation of the fired lamp is higher.

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Due to the innovative coloring technology, COFFIRE lamp has a pink marble-like surface texture, which is a wonderful effect that no other glaze can achieve. The texture and color produced through this firing technology are different, making each lamp unique.

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COFFIRE project is expected to cooperate with a cafe. The raw material of coffee grounds needed for product stain are collected and supplied by the cooperative cafe, and then the products produced are put into the market through that café in the form of brand co-operation as the peripheral products of it. Based on this sales model, it can maximize the customer awareness of the sustainability of coffee and the original design intention of the product and increase the added value in upcycling of the coffee.

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