Roasting the AirCarson Collinsworth, Marisa Warnick, Keaton

WellsWhitefish High School

Mr. Spangler

Montana Coffee Traders

Background InformationWhat is the reason for interest in this area?We are interested in what the roasting and grinding process consists of and why it affects the

quality of air.

What is meant by PM 2.5?Tiny particles in the air that are 2.5 microns or less in width. PM=Particulate Matter

What is in the air that causes PM 2.5? What are the sources of PM 2.5?

Outside, the fine particles from cars and other off-road vehicle exhaust. Also other operations thatinvolve burning of fuel. Indoor sources of fine particles are tobacco smoke, cooking, burningcandles, and operating fire places.

Describe the size of a PM 2.5 particle. Compare it to something in our world.

The size of the particles are up to 10 micrometers in size. 100 times thinner than a human hair.

What is the EPA limit for PM 2.5 ?The EPA limit for PM 2.5 is 0.035.

What are the concerns related to PM 2.5?Particles can reach the lungs which causes eye, nose, throat and lung irritation. It can also worsenconditions.

What percent of time do we spend indoors?The average American spends about 93% of their time indoors.

Research QuestionWill the air quality be worse during

the roasting process, or during the grinding process?

HypothesisThe Pm 2.5 level will be higher during the roasting process

compared to the grinding process due to the complexity of it’s process.

DustTrak Location

Materials and MethodsWe used the DustTrak to collect air quality data.We placed the DustTrak 6 feet from the roaster.We placed the DustTrak 2 feet from the grinder. We sampled the air quality of Montana Coffee

Traders located on Highway 93 North. We did our data collection on March 10, 2015

from 7:00 AM to 8:15 AM. Our independent variable were time and

DustTrak machine The PM 2.5 level was the dependent variable.

Process• New Bag Sucking in

Machine 7:44 AM• Bean turned to

Yellow• Max internal temp

reached 615 F at 7:49 AM

• Beans Turned Brown at 8:51 AM

Process Continued•Beans meet required temperature of 447 F at 7:51 AM•Beans put into cooling tray at 7:52•Process completed at 7:55 AM

Roasting Results

Grinding Results

Stats for Roasting ProcessStart Date: March 10th, 2015 Average: 0.462

mg/m^3

Start Time: 7:00 AM Max: 2.377 mg/m^3

Stop Date:March 10th, 2015 Max Time: 7:44 AM

Stop Time: 8:08 AM Min: 0.153 mg/m^3

Amount of Time: 1 hr 8 min Min Time: 7:06 AM

Stats for Grinding ProcessStart Date: March 10th, 2015 Average:

0.038 mg/m^3

Start Time: 8:08 AM Max: 0.058 mg/m^3

Stop Date:March 10th, 2015 Max Time: 8:14 AM

Stop Time: 8:18 AM Min: 0.018 mg/m^3

Amount of Time: 10 min Min Time: 8:08 AM

DiscussionThe data shows that our hypothesis that the

air quality would be worse during the roasting process than the grinding process was supported.

The major spikes are happening when the beans are being sucked into the machine.

ConclusionsAlthough the air quality also worsened during

the grinding process, it was to a much lesser degree than the roasting process. In

conclusion, working in conditions like these could potentially lead to severe health issues.

ImprovementsMore time to test

Test on different days/seasons

Different beans that they roast

ReferencesLibrary Home Page:

http://whs.wsds44.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uRECID=81915&type=d

“Fine Particles (PM 2.5) Questions and Answers.” Fine Particles (PM 2.5) Questions and Answers. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.

The National Ambient Air Quality Standards For Particle Pollution. REVISED AIR QUALITY STANDARDS FOR PARTICLE POLLUTION AND UPDATES TO THE AIR QUALITY INDEX (AQI) (n.d.):n. pag. Web.

“Brain Post: How Much Time Does the Average American Spend Outdoors?” SnowBraincom. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.

“OR.” Air Info Now: What Is Particulate Matter: N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.

AcknowledgementsThank you to Montana Coffee Traders for

letting us test the sight and walking us through the process of roasting and grinding coffee beans.

Thank you to Mr. Spangler for all of his help, in this project and all other work.