Spent coffee grounds are generated in a considerable amount as a processing waste during making the
coffee beverage. This waste is attractive for biofuel production due to the high organic content. The aim
of this study was to investigate the bioenergy production potential of the spent coffee grounds during
pyrolysis at two different heating rates of 10 and 60 ◦C/min. During the process, three discrete stages of
pyrolysis representing the thermal behaviour ofthe sample were identifiedas the evaporationof absorbed
water, pyrolysis reactions and the decomposed residual solid. The gaseous volatile, CO2, CO and CH4 were
shown to be the primary volatiles for the biogas. The heating rate of pyrolysis was found to have positive
effects on the elemental composition in the bio-oil. The pyrolysis efficiency of spent coffee grounds
was calculated accounting for the stoichiometric energy that can be produced from combustion of the
pyrolysis products and the energy required to carry out the pyrolysis process. The pyrolysis efficiency
was estimated at 77–85%, depending on the moisture content of the feedstock.