Contribution of the Environmental Biotechnology to the Sustainability of the Coffee Processing Industry in Developing Countries

The global demand of coffee beverages stimulates high levels of production in coffee-growing countries. Contradictorily, this does not contribute to eradicate the imbalances in social benefits, economic growth, and environmental impact that are identified when analyzing the different stages of this agroindustry. This phenomenon is palpable in the primary processing or benefit of the coffee fruit, in which the green coffee bean is obtained. The benefit (wet, dry, or semi-dry) is developed in agricultural areas mainly of developing countries, where the financial resources available for the implementation of cleaner production strategies and effective waste treatment are limited. As a consequence, both liquid and solid wastes become a source of severe pollution of surrounding ecosystems and deterioration of farmers’ living conditions. This chapter addresses the alternatives to transform coffee wastes into value products through bioprocesses, with a focus on circular economy and its contribution to the sustainability concept in developing countries. It was confirmed that the particularities of the scenarios in which coffee production and trade are developed make it complex to generalize alternatives of waste treatment or use. Furthermore, a production model that meets the multiple factors involved is also very complex but not difficult to be achieved. Sustainability initiatives and the role of biotechnology, with emphasis in anaerobic digestion, for the coffee production are analyzed. A holistic approach to solve the problems that persist in the process and the coffee value chain is exposed. It was concluded that it is necessary to incorporate into the concept of products of excellence and high quality standards in the coffee agroindustry the requirement of production conditions in which the waste streams are reused or returned to nature with non-aggressive characteristics for the environment. Biophysical indicators play an important role in making it possible.