Coffee roasting emits substantial quantities of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), contributing to air pollution and creating occupational health risks for workers and nearby communities. Small-scale roasteries, which represent the majority of global operations, typically lack effective and affordable emission control technologies. In this study, we developed and field‑tested two low‑cost, integrated condensate capture systems, a conical hood captor and a cylindrical captor, designed for direct application to a 10‑kg gas‑fired batch roaster. Both systems were evaluated under real commercial conditions using Arabica ( Coffea arabica ) and Conilon ( Coffea canephora ) coffees. The conical hood achieved condensate recovery rates of 1.03–1.46 g/min·kg (109–144 g per 10‑kg batch), while the cylindrical captor recovered up to 150 g per batch. The collected liquids were acidic (pH 2–4) and rich in total organic carbon (up to 73.34 mg TOC/kg coffee), containing hazardous alpha‑diketones (diacetyl, 2,3‑pentanedione) and valuable aroma constituents such as caffeine, acetic acid, and furfural. Emission abatement ranged from 969 to 3767 mg VOC/Nm 3 , corresponding to reductions of up to 40% relative to uncontrolled processes and 14–27% below regulatory benchmarks. These results provide the first field‑scale demonstration that simple, scalable condensate‑capture systems can substantially mitigate VOC emissions and occupational exposures in small-scale coffee roasting. The approach offers a practical technological pathway for emission reduction in decentralized food industries, supporting environmental quality and worker health. • Two low‑cost condensate‑capture systems were field‑tested in a real roastery • Systems prevented 14–27% of VOC emissions, reducing occupational exposure risks • Valuable compounds such as acetic acid, caffeine, and furfuryl alcohol were recovered • Conical hood achieved up to 200% higher TOC recovery than the cylindrical captor • Practical solution for VOC mitigation in small‑ to medium‑scale roasting facilities
Innocentini et al. (Thu,) studied this question.