Research & Development
Olive Oil Mill Residues
Transformation of olive oil mill residues into biogas and fertilizer
- The concept GREEN APP has been developed as a new solution for the valorization of by-products from the olive oil industry.
- The system manages, in a sustainable way, the different residue fractions in a clear example of circular economy where the final products are a renewable gas, energy and a soil bio-stimulant.
The agri-food industry sector is in a phase of transformation driven by the need to implement circular economy models. It is an expanding concept where, through innovative processes or technologies, by-products are no longer considered a problematic waste, but a new resource.
Within the industry, the olive oil sector presents a particularly complicated challenge due to the high amount of the generated olive mill by-product called alperujo. The growing volume of alperujo production, coupled with the limited processing capacity of the olive pomace industry, is bringing the sector to the brink of collapse.
Alperujo Processing Plant – new opportunities for biomethane.
Because alperujo is a by-product with very high biomethane potential, BIOGEST has understood that the use of this residue for biogas generation will not only minimize the current problem, but will also generate new profitable business opportunities. For this purpose, we have developed a concept of valuation for this subproduct, working with our Spanish partners from Virosa Oleoconsulting who have more than 3 decades of experience in the field of processing and valorization of the subproducts in the olive oil industry and BTM Simbiosis, a biotechnological company specialized in the production of soil bio-stimulants.
This new concept of valorization, called GREEN APP (Alperujo Processing Plant), allows not only the generation of biogas for the production of electricity, heat and biomethane, but also the production of a high value agricultural bio-stimulant. In addition, it allows for the elimination of all types of waste generated in the industry (alperujo, olive pomace, olive mill wastewater, etc.) through natural processes. This alternative model will allow the implementation of new processing plants closer to the producers of this residue, and it will ensure a reduction in the carbon footprint of the olive oil industry.
