From the farm to the cup, The Chemical Engineering of Coffee explores the sustainability of the coffee industry and practices that produce the perfect brew. Applying concepts they've tackled in their other courses — from fluid mechanics to mass transfer to energy conservation — students in this course take on a real-world challenge "important to industry but very difficult to do well," says instructor William McCaffrey.
"Our goal is to apply as much scientific rigour as we can," says McCaffrey, "taking what students have learned to use it in a relatable way and deepening their appreciation of the fundamentals of every course they've taken."
Students look at the role of wastewater treatment and thermodynamics in drying beans for transport, reaction engineering in roasting, and even what materials properties make the best grinder.
Then it's on to how wastewater treatment and brewing practices contribute to the best brew. "We can pop beans in our mouth, chew on them and get immediate feedback," says McCaffrey.
The course ended last December with the students testing their skills and knowledge in a brew-off against one of Canada's top baristas, Ply Pasarj, co-founder of Edmonton's Rogue Wave Coffee and PhD candidate in biochemistry at the U of A. Their entries were judged by a panel including local roaster Avram Sanders, U of A coffee sustainability expert Kaan Ozdurak and materials engineering professor Jing Liu. Beans for the competition were donated by Apex Coffee Imports.
