Roasting the Air Carson Collinsworth, Marisa Warnick, Keaton Wells Whitefish High School Mr. Spangler Montana Coffee Traders

Background Information What 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 that involve burning of fuel. Indoor sources of fine particles are tobacco smoke, cooking, burning candles, 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 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 worsen conditions. What percent of time do we spend indoors? The average American spends about 93% of their time indoors.

Research Question Will the air quality be worse during the roasting process, or during the grinding process?

Hypothesis The 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 Methods We 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 Process Start Date: March 10 th, 2015Average: mg/m^3 Start Time: 7:00 AMMax: mg/m^3 Stop Date:March 10 th, 2015Max Time: 7:44 AM Stop Time: 8:08 AMMin: mg/m^3 Amount of Time: 1 hr 8 minMin Time: 7:06 AM

Stats for Grinding Process Start Date: March 10 th, 2015Average: mg/m^3 Start Time: 8:08 AMMax: mg/m^3 Stop Date:March 10 th, 2015Max Time: 8:14 AM Stop Time: 8:18 AMMin: mg/m^3 Amount of Time: 10 minMin Time: 8:08 AM

Discussion The 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.

Conclusions Although 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.

Improvements More time to test Test on different days/seasons Different beans that they roast

References Library Home Page: “Fine Particles (PM 2.5) Questions and Answers.” Fine Particles (PM 2.5) Questions and Answers. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 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 “OR.” Air Info Now: What Is Particulate Matter: N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.

Acknowledgements Thank 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.