Researchers find uses for old coffee

ROME, March 21 (UPI) -- Italian researchers say the leftover dregs from the estimated 70 million cups of coffee that are made daily in Italy could be used to fuel stoves and boilers.

The researchers said the coffee dregs can be converted into a "clean" organic fuel for the appliances, ANSA reported Friday.

"The dregs make ideal fuel for stoves and boilers," said researchers Roberto Lavecchia and Antonio Zuorro of La Sapienza University in Rome.

The researchers told ANSA other uses for used coffee grounds include removal of heavy metals and uses in the cosmetic industry through the extraction of chemical substances called polyphenols, which have antioxidant properties.