Valorization potential of coffee capsule waste: an updated bibliometric review

In recent years, coffee capsule waste has been generated on an increasingly large scale worldwide, but disposing of it in an environmentally sustainable and economical manner still poses major challenges. This work maps the original scientific production focused on the valorization of coffee capsule waste through a bibliometric review based on scientific articles published in the last 10 years (from 2014 to 2024) in the Scopus database. The review identified different ways of valuing coffee capsule waste, including the development of composite materials, composting, energy production, jewelry and decorative items, and the construction of supercapacitors and sensors. Some significant aspects were also emphasized: (i) this subject has a high potential for further growth; (ii) the published articles considered only part of the components of the coffee capsule waste; and (iii) most of the published articles were based on laboratory-scale experiments. Thus, the valorization of coffee capsule waste requires even more development. To address these challenges, manufacturers, consumers, researchers, governments, and the recycling industry should make a joint effort to develop innovative solutions that enable the complete valorization of coffee capsule waste in an environmentally friendly way.