Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The use of spent coffee grounds in growing media for the production of Brassica seedlings in nurseries

  • Waste and Biomass Management & Valorization
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Large quantities of spent coffee grounds (SCG) are generated the last decades, and their recycling is of research interest challenge. In the present study, SCG was tested to substitute peat (P) in substrate mixtures for the production of Brassica seedlings. Seeds of cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage were placed in substrate mixtures containing 0-2.5-5-10% SCG. The mixture of SCG with peat affected several physicochemical characteristics of the growing media, providing also considerable amount of mineral elements for the seedling growth needs. Seed emergence was stimulated in 2.5–5% of SCG for cauliflower and at 2.5% of SCG for cabbage, while 10% of SCG decreased the percentage and increased the mean emergence time of the examined species. Plant biomass and leaf number were increased at 2.5% SCG for broccoli and cabbage but maintained at cauliflower when compared with control. The SCG at 10% decreased stomatal conductance of broccoli and cabbage (including 2.5–5% SCG in cauliflower) while chlorophyll content was increased at 10% of SCG media. The incorporation of SCG impacted the mineral content accumulated in plants with increases in nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus and decreases in magnesium and iron content. Total phenolics and antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP) decreased at ≥ 5% SCG at cauliflower and cabbage or unchanged for broccoli when compared with the control. The cabbage seedlings grown in 10% SCG media subjected to stress with increases in the production of hydrogen peroxides and lipid peroxidation, and reflected changes in the antioxidant enzymatic metabolism (catalase, superoxide dismutase). The present study demonstrates that SCG (up to 5%) can be used for seed germination biostimulants and/or partially substitute the peat for Brassica seedling production.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abad M, Noguera P, Bures S (2001) National inventory of organic wastes for use as growing media for ornamental potted plant production: case study in Spain. Bioresour Technol 77:197–200

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Azevedo Neto AD, Prisco JT, Enéas-Filho J, Abreu CEB, Gomes-Filho E (2006) Effect of salt stress on antioxidative enzymes and lipid peroxidation in leaves and roots of salt-tolerant and salt sensitive maize genotypes. J Environ Exp Bot 56:87–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Batish DR, Singh HP, Kaur M, Kohli RK, Yadav SS (2008) Caffeine affects adventitious rooting and causes biochemical changes in the hypocotyl cuttings of mung bean (Phaseolus aureus Roxb.). Acta Physiol Plant 30:401–405

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Battista F, Fino D, Mancini G (2016) Optimization of biogas production from coffee production waste. Bioresour Technol 200:884–890

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bravo J, Juániz I, Monente C, Caemmerer B, Kroh LW, De Peña MP, Cid C (2012) Evaluation of spent coffee obtained from the most common coffeemakers as a source of hydrophilic bioactive compounds. J Agric Food Chem 60(51):12565–12573

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bugbee GJ (2002) Growth of ornamental plants in container media amended with biosolids composts. Compost Sci Util 10:92–98

    Google Scholar 

  • Castillo JE, Herrera F, Lopez-Bellido RJ, Lopez-Bellido FJ, Lopez-Bellido L, Fernandez EJ (2004) Municipal solid waste (MSW) compost as a tomato transplant medium. Compost Sci Util 12:86–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Ceglie FG, Bustamante MA, Ben Amara M, Tittarelli F (2015) The challenge of peat substitution in organic seedling production: optimization of growing media formulation through mixture design and response surface analysis. PLoS One 10:1–14. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0128600

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cervera-Mata A, Pastoriza S, Rufián-Henares J-Á, Párraga J, Martín-García JM, Delgado G (2017) Impact of spent coffee grounds as organic amendment on soil fertility and lettuce growth in two Mediterranean agricultural soils. Arch Agron Soil Sci. https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2017.1387651

  • Cervera-Mata A, Martín-García JM, Delgado R, Párraga J, Sánchez-Marañón M, Delgado G (2019) Short-term effects of spent coffee grounds on the physical properties of two Mediterranean agricultural soils. Int Agrophys 33:205–216

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chandra M, Sathiavelu S (2009) Waste management in the olive oil industry in the Mediterranean region by composting. Clean Techn Environ Policy 11:293–298

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chrysargyris A, Tzortzakis N (2015) Municipal solid wastes and mineral fertilizer as an eggplant transplant medium. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 15:11–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Chrysargyris A, Stavrinides M, Moustakas K, Tzortzakis N (2018a) Utilisation of paper waste as growing media for potted ornamental plants. Clean Techn Environ Policy 21:1937–1948. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-018-1647-7

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chrysargyris A, Antoniou O, Tzionis A, Prasad M, Tzortzakis N (2018b) Alternative soilless media using olive-mill and paper wastes for growing ornamental plants. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25(36):35915–35927

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chrysargyris A, Antoniou O, Athinodorou F, Vassiliou R, Papadaki A, Tzortzakis N (2019a) Deployment of olive-stone waste as a substitute growing medium component for Brassica seedlings production in nurseries. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26:35461–35472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04261-8

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chrysargyris A, Papakyriakou E, Petropoulos SA, Tzortzakis N (2019b) The combined and single effect of salinity and copper stress on growth and quality of Mentha spicata plants. J Hazard Mater 368:584–593

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ciesielczuk T, Rosik-Dulewska C, Poluszyńska J, Ślęzak E (2019) Assessment of effectiveness of organo-mineral fertilizer made of coffee spent grounds and biomass ash. J Ecol Eng 20(2):73–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Cruz R, Baptista P, Cunha S, Pereira JA, Casal S (2012) Carotenoids of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown on soil enriched with spent coffee grounds. Molecules 17:1535–1547

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cruz R, Gomes T, Ferreira A, Mendes E, Baptista P, Cunha S, Pereira JA, Ramalhosa E, Casal S (2014) Antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds of lettuce improved by espresso coffee residues. Food Chem 145:95–101

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Davila-Guzman NE, Cerino-Córdova FJ, Loredo-Cancino M, Rangel-Mendez JR, Gómez-González R, Soto-Regalado E (2016) Studies of adsorption of heavy metals onto spent coffee ground: equilibrium, regeneration, and dynamic performance in a fixed-bed column. Int J Chem Eng 2016:11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/9413879

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fascella G (2015) Growing substrates alternative to peat for ornamental plants. In: Asaduzzaman MD (ed) Soilless culture - use of substrates for the production of quality horticultural crops. Publisher InTech, London ISBN 978-953-51-1739-1

    Google Scholar 

  • Hara T, Sonoda Y (1979) The role of macronutrients for cabbage-head formation. Soil Sci Plant Nutr 25(1):103–111

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hardgrove SJ, Livesley SJ (2016) Applying spent coffee grounds directly to urban agriculture soils greatly reduces plant growth. Urban For Urban Green 18:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2016.02.015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iriondo-DeHond A, García NA, Fernandez-Gomez B, Guisantes-Batan E, Escobar FV, Blanch GP, San Andres MI, Sanchez-Fortun S, del Castillo MD (2019) Validation of coffee by-products as novel food ingredients. Innov Food Sci Emerg Technol 51:194–204

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jayasinghe GY, Tokashiki Y, Kitou M, Kinjo K (2008) Oil palm waste and synthetic zeolite: an alternative soil-less growth substrate for lettuce production as a waste management practice. Waste Manag Res 26:559–565

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kasongo RK, Verdoodt A, Kanyankagote P, Baert G, Van Ranst E (2011) Coffee waste as an alternative fertilizer with soil improving properties for sandy soils in humid tropical environments. Soil Use Manag 27:94–102

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelepesi S, Tzortzakis NG (2009) Olive-mill wastes - a growing medium component for seedling and crop production of lettuce and chicory. Int J Veg Sci 15:325–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiarostami K, Mohseni R, Saboora A (2010) Biochemical changes of Rosmarinus officinalis under salt stress. J Stress Physiol Biochem 6:114–122

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim M-S, Min H-G, Koo N, Park J, Lee S-H, Bak G-I, Kim J-G (2014) The effectiveness of spent coffee grounds and its biochar on the amelioration of heavy metals-contaminated water and soil using chemical and biological assessments. J Environ Manag 146:124–130

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kondamudi N, Mohapatra S, Misra M (2008) Spent coffee grounds as a versatile source of green energy. J Agric Food Chem 56:11757–11760

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kwon EE, Yi H, Jeon YJ (2013) Sequential co-production of biodiesel and bioethanol with spent coffee grounds. Bioresour Technol 136:475–480

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kyzas GZ (2012) Commercial coffee wastes as materials for adsorption of heavy metals from aqueous solutions. Materials (Basel) 5(12):1826–1840

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • López-Barrera DM, Vázquez-Sánchez K, Loarca-Piña MGF, Campos-Vega R (2016) Spent coffee grounds, an innovative source of colonic fermentable compounds, inhibit inflammatory mediators in vitro. Food Chem 212:282–290

    Google Scholar 

  • Loreto F, Velikova V (2001) Isoprene produced by leaves protects the photosynthetic apparatus against ozone damage, quenches ozone products, and reduces lipid peroxidation of cellular membranes. Plant Physiol 27:1781–1787

    Google Scholar 

  • Low JH, Rahman WAWA, Jamaluddin J (2015) The influence of extraction parameters on spent coffee grounds as a renewable tannin resource. J Clean Prod 101:222–228

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morrish R, Hofstede H (2000) Alternatives to peat: a manual. Murdoch University, Perth, p 18

    Google Scholar 

  • Murthy PS, Madhava Naidu M (2012) Sustainable management of coffee industry by-products and value addition—a review. Resour Conserv Recycl 66:45–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Mussatto SI, Carneiro LM, Silva JPA, Roberto IC, Teixeira JA (2011a) A study on chemical constituents and sugars extraction from spent coffee grounds. Carbohydr Polym 83:368–374

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mussatto SI, Machado EMS, Martins S, Teixeira JA (2011b) Production, composition, and application of coffee and its industrial residues. Food Bioprocess Technol 4(5):661–672

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Obruca S, Benesova P, Kucera D, Petrik S, Marova I (2015) Biotechnological conversion of spent coffee grounds into polyhydroxyalkanoates and carotenoids. New Biotechnol 32(6):569–574

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ouzounidou G, Asfi M, Sotirakis N, Papadopoulou P, Gaitis F (2008) Olive mill wastewater triggered changes in physiology and nutritional quality of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) depending on growth substrate. J Hazard Mater 158:523–530

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Panusa A, Zuorro A, Lavecchia R, Marrosu G, Petrucci R (2013) Recovery of natural antioxidants from spent coffee grounds. J Agric Food Chem 61(17):4162–4168

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Papafotiou M, Phsyhalou M, Kargas G, Chatzipavlidis I, Chronopoulos J (2004) Olive-mill wastes compost as growing medium component for the production of poinsettia. Sci Hortic 102:167–175

    Google Scholar 

  • Peres Ribeiro J, Domingos Vicente E, Gomes AP, Nunes MI, Alves C, Tarelho LAC (2017) Effect of industrial and domestic ash from biomass combustion, and spent coffee grounds, on soil fertility and plant growth: experiments at field conditions. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24:15270–15277

    Google Scholar 

  • Perez-Murcia MD, Moral R, Moreno-Caselles J, Perez-Espinosa A, Paredes C (2006) Use of composted sewage sludge in growth media brocolli. Bioresour Technol 97:123–130

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Prasad M, Tzortzakis N, McDaniel N (2018) Chemical characterization of biochar and assessment of the nutrient dynamics by means of preliminary plant growth tests. J Environ Manag 216:89–95

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ronga D, Pane C, Zaccardelli M, Pecchioni N (2016) Use of spent coffee ground compost in peat-based growing media for the production of basil and tomato potting plants. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 47:356–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/00103624.2015.1122803

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tongcumpou C, Usapein P, Tuntiwiwattanapun N (2019) Complete utilization of wet spent coffee grounds waste as a novel feedstock for antioxidant, biodiesel, and bio-char production. Ind Crop Prod 138:111484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2019.111484

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tsakaldimi M (2006) Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) core and rice hulls as components of container media for growing Pinus halepensis M. seedlings. Bioresour Technol 97:1631–1639

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tzortzakis NG, Economakis CD (2005) Shredded maize stems as an alternative substrate medium. Effect on growth, flowering and yield of tomato in soilless culture. J Veg Sci 11(2):57–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Tzortzakis NG, Tzanakaki K, Economakis C (2011) Effect of origanum oil and vinegar on the maintenance of postharvest quality of tomato. Food Nutr Sci 2:974–982

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vakalis S, Moustakas K, Benedetti V, Cordioli E, Patuzzi F, Loizidou M, Baratieri M (2019) The ″COFFEE BIN″ concept: centralized collection and torrefaction of spent coffee grounds. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26:35473–35481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04919-3

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamane K, Kono M, Fukunaga T, Iwai K, Sekine R (2014) Field evaluation of coffee grounds application for crop growth enhancement, weed control, and soil improvement. Plant Prod Sci 17:93–102

    Google Scholar 

  • Zuorro A, Lavecchia R (2012) Spent coffee grounds as a valuable source of phenolic compounds and bioenergy. J Clean Prod 34:49–56

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science, Cyprus University of Technology, 3603, Limassol, Cyprus

    Antonios Chrysargyris, Omiros Antoniou, Panayiota Xylia & Nikos Tzortzakis

  2. Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, 38446, N. Ionia, Magnissia, Greece

    Spyridon Petropoulos

Authors
  1. Antonios Chrysargyris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Omiros Antoniou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Panayiota Xylia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Spyridon Petropoulos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nikos Tzortzakis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nikos Tzortzakis.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Gangrong Shi

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

(DOC 240 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chrysargyris, A., Antoniou, O., Xylia, P. et al. The use of spent coffee grounds in growing media for the production of Brassica seedlings in nurseries. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 24279–24290 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-07944-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-07944-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation