CITOLIVA offers the olive oil sector the technological tool to transform its by-products

• OLIVEVALUE, funded by the Junta de Andalucía (PAIDI 2020), offers a pioneering system that recommends to olive mills and pomace processing plants the best route to valorize olive pomace, pits, leaves and other olive grove waste.

CITOLIVA has successfully completed the OLIVEVALUE project , an initiative whose main result is an innovative model to support strategic decision-making for the use of by-products generated in the olive oil production process .

In a context where the sector seeks to make better use of its resources and reduce its environmental impact, OLIVEVALUE provides a practical answer: an expert technology recommendation system aimed at olive mills, pomace processing plants and other agro-industrial facilities interested in incorporating waste valorization processes such as olive pomace, olive pits, olive pomace, leaves or olive pruning waste .

The project, funded by the Andalusian Regional Government within the framework of the Andalusian Plan for Research, Development and Innovation (PAIDI 2020), has developed a tool that allows for rigorous and flexible guidance on which valorization technologies best suit each business reality.

A technology recommender adaptable to every business strategy

The expert system developed allows the user to select different prioritization criteria according to the operational or strategic context of each entity. Thus, the technological recommendation offered by OLIVEVALUE varies depending on whether the objective is commercial or experimental, the geographical proximity to potential appraisers, or key technical variables. These include:

• Technical Feasibility (TF)
• Economic Viability (EV)
• Economic Costs (EC)
• Technology Maturity Level (TRL)
• Intermediate Processes (IP)
• Value Added of the Final Product (VAPF)
• Associated Research (AR)
• Environmental Impact (IAmb)
• Versatility in Olive Oil By-Products (VSO)

Ten value-added routes with real-world application in Andalusia

During the project, ten valorization routes were analyzed, selected for their innovative potential and real applicability in the Andalusian context:

• 1. Anaerobic digestion
• 2. Gasification
• 3. Pyrolysis
• 4. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL)
• 5. Fermentation
• 6. Composting
• 7. Extraction of bioactive compounds
• 8. Animal feeding
• 9.Pelletization
• 10. Roasting

These technologies open the door to transforming olive oil by-products into thermal or electrical energy, organic fertilizers, liquid and solid biofuels, functional ingredients, additives for animal feed or raw materials for new industrial applications, in line with the principles of circular bioeconomy and decarbonization that today mark the roadmap of the agro-industrial sector.

According to José Alfonso Gómez, researcher at CITOLIVA, “OLIVEVALUE provides the olive oil sector with a rigorous and operational tool to guide its valuation decisions, based on objective technical-economic criteria and fully aligned with the challenges of sustainability and efficiency in the use of resources.”

The OLIVEVALUE tool is now available to the sector. Interested companies can access and explore the recommended technology paths based on their specific context.