The ‘OliPFUEL’ project funded by the European Union through the ‘Horizon Europe Marie Sklodowska-Curie European Postdoctoral Fellowships programme (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01 Project ID: 101062601)’ has been developed during the last two years at the University Institute of Research on Olive Grove and Olive Oils (INUO) of the University of Jaén in coordination with the Higher Polytechnic School of Linares.
This initiative has been led by researchers from the Process Engineering Unit of INUO and the Bioprocesses Research Group of the University of Jaén, Lourdes Martínez Cartas and Adnan Asad Karim, who have focused on the valorisation of the wet olive pomace present in large quantities in the province of Jaén, the world’s leading producer of olive oils. To this end, they have analysed possible alternatives for the treatment of this biomass from the olive grove, specifically in obtaining biofuels, both solid and liquid.
In its development, the researchers have managed to obtain bioethanol, biodiesel and a solid biofuel called ‘biochar’, through the implementation of hydrothermal treatment techniques and biotechnological processes. In this way, it has been possible to take advantage of the intrinsic nature of the pomace itself, characterised by its high wet content, and without the need to use toxic chemical substances.
Lourdes Martínez Cartas points out that ‘unlike other treatments such as acid or enzymatic hydrolysis, we avoid the use of chemical products, which reduces the costs of the process and generates fewer harmful substances for the environment’. She also highlights the energetic properties of the ‘biochar’ generated, assuring that ‘it increases the calorific value of the original pomace by 50%, which is a very significant improvement’.
In fact, the results of the ‘OliPFUEL’ project are intended to have a positive impact on the olive grove and olive oils sector, promoting the circular economy and sustainability in the olive oil industry. In this sense, the researcher adds that ‘the revaluation of an initially residual substance such as olive pomace, transformed into value-added by-products, contributes to generating an economic and social benefit, which also solves an environmental problem’.
Ultimately, the researchers reported that they are developing other lines of research aligned with the work carried out in the ‘OliPFUEL’ project, where they are delving into obtaining other by-products for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, thanks to the antioxidant properties of the polyphenols present in the olive pomace.
Source: ‘Diario Digital de la Universidad de Jaén’ (26/01/2025)
