Technology Pathways of the Olive Oil Sector

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UNIVERSITY of the AEGEAN
Technology Pathways of the Olive Oil Sector
Costas, Dolores, Eleni, Jóna, Luis, Maria,
Mirsini, Miltos, Peter, Steven, Yong
Lesvos - May 2002
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Objective
Quality, costs and socio-economic implications
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Methodology

• State of the art of alternative technologies -
  Research (secondary data)
• Current technologies and situation in Lesvos
  Field Work
• Comparison of current technologies with cleaner
  technologies
• Environment Env. Performance Indicators
• Quality Quality Performance Indicators
• Costs Cost-efficiency analysis
• Socio-economics Drivers, barriers and
  consequences
• Conclusions

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Current SituationTechnologies and Environmental
Aspects
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Current Situation
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Major characteristics of OMW

• Intensive violet-dark brown up to black color
• Strong specific olive oil smell
• High degree of organic pollution(BOD5 35-110 g/L)
• pH between 3 and 5.9
• High content of polyphenols (up to 80g/L)
• High content of solid matter (total solids up to
  20g/L)

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Proposed olive mill waste treatment method by the
Prefecture

• Inorganic flocculation
• Flocculation tank with low-speed mixer
• BOD5 reduction 40-60
• 500-750 times higher than the standard limit
• Most economically viable
• Only two olive mills have integrated waste
  management system by using lime

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Improved olive mill waste water treatment system
by WML, UoA

• Inorganic flocculation (lime)
• Flocculation tank (high low speed mixing)
• BOD reduction 88
• 150 times higher than the standard limit
• There is no present technology available reaching
  the regulatory limit for BOD
• To find an effective method for separating
  polyphenols from OMW. Thus, OMW can be treated
  with a conventional method (e.g. biological
  treatment).

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Preventative approach

• High costs of end of pipe technologies
• Lack of feasible and effective treatment of
  wastewater for the island
• Solution for resource consumption
• Total prevention of waste is not possible with
  currently known technologies need for a
  combination with end of pipe approaches

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Cleaner Technologies Centrifugation
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Cleaner Technologies Centrifugation

• Continue research on posibility to switch
• Advantages
• Significant reduction of water use
• No significant alteration of oil acidity
• Savings in water costs
• Possible reuse of pomace
• Disadvantages
• Extraction facilities have to close down or
  change technologies

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Management System

• Constant monitoring
• Environmental and quality benchmark generation
• Improves resource efficiency
• Generates statistical data that facilitates
• Enforcement
• Standardisation
• Marketing abroad
• Costly but further analysis could prove that its
  adoption pays back.

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Thank you Efgaristo