QLK5-2000-00766 BIOLIVE: Development of industrial solutions for the recycling and valorization of the olive oil fabrication residues for biopolymers and fine chemicals

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Biopolymers/Gums : Fine Chemicals : Quality of Life - 5.2 Non-Food Development

	Proposal No:	QLK5-2000-00766
	Source:	First Annual Progress Report December 2001
		Second Annual Progress Report December 2002

Progress Report Summary
Period Ending December 2002

Activities

After 24 months the liquefaction process study at laboratory scale is completed. The characteristics of this process have been optimised by studying the influence of each process variable and operating condition. A mathematical model for each biomass based polyol and phenol has been defined to allow production and selection of the best samples.

The first trials at laboratory scale of polyurethane foam and phenolic resin for wood panel applications are quite encouraging. Significant amount of biomass based phenol and polyol compounds can substitute traditional phenol and polyol from fossil origin. The results for phenolic foams and novolak type moulded resin are not satisfactory, so far, and further studies at laboratory scale of the phenolic resin formulations are necessary.

The first filtration trials with hydrophobated orujillo have highlighted the need for a preliminary filtration of the solid particules in suspension in the alpechin to achieve the require filtration rates and efficiency. This should be done with adapted press and/or rotary filtration,

The first analysis of filtration cake and filtrate have shown that most of the fats are recovered even with raw orujillo and possibly other vegetal adjuvant used as a silt and pre-coat system. High contents of valuable components such as sterols and squalene are recovered in the filtration cake, while most of the phenols remain in the filtrate.

Future Actions

• Finish building of the semi-industrial pilot reactor
• Studies of the liquifaction process at semi-industrial scale in a 200 l pilot reactor
• Improve the formulation of the phenolic resins for phenolic foams and novolak moulded resins
• Run biodegradability tests on polyurethane foams
• Study the phenolic resin for wood panel application at semi-industrial scale
• Design the final filtration system to recover the fats and other valuable components
• Run extraction and characterization of the fats and other valuable components found in the filtration cake and in the filtrate.

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Progress Report Summary
Period Ending December 2001

Introduction

The olive processing industry is a major activity in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean basin, which produces 2.4 Mt of oil per year (95 % of the world production) and provides income for around two million enterprises. In addition to the olive oil, 30 Mt per year solid and liquid residue (respectively called orujo and alpechin or alperujo for solid/liquid mixture, in Spanish) are also produced. The first press residues are used to produced second press olive oil called pomace oil (aceite de orujo in Spanish). When the residue is alperujo (mostly in Spain), the liquid part (about 65 %) is evaporated in the pomace oil manufacturing process. When the residues are orujo and alpechin (mostly in Italy and Greece), the liquid residue is disposed of on land or evaporated in open basins. In both cases, the final solid residue of the pomace oil manufacturing is a dry material (10 % humidity) composed of ground olive stones and pulp, called orujillo in Spanish. Around 1.8 Mt of this material is produced each year in Europe.

At present only around 30 % of the orujillo is used. In general this is through low added value processes. The crushed stones may be used as fuel for heating, or are composted. The residual pulp may be used as animal feed. As with all plant material orujillo has a high lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose content. It is possible that these natural biopolymers could be transformed by liquefaction in new monomer compounds for the fabrication of polyurethane and phenoplaste polymers. This project, BIOLIFVE, aims to develop technology capable of using orujillo for the fabrication of such new biopolymers. In addition the project will look at alternatives to disposal of alpechin to land, which occurs in the absence of cost effective purification technique. BIOLIVE will develop technology to provide cost effective filtration media from the vegetal material, use this to adsorb all the fats from the alpechin and further valorise this through the use in fine chemistry, of the purified compounds contained in the fats.

Activities

The overall project is divided into a series of tasks. The first two will assess:

• the performance of the liquefaction process with orujillo at laboratory scale to produce new biopolymers as a partial substitution of current compounds used for the fabrication of polyurethane, phenolic foams and phenolic resins
• the performance, including cost effectiveness, of the hydrophobation process for orujillo at semi-industrial scale to produce a filtration media for the recovery of fats from alpechin.

The third task will assess the quality of the new biopolymers derived from compounds resulting from the laboratory scale liquefaction process.

Further tasks will assess:

the performance, including cost effectiveness, of the liquefaction process of orujillo at semi-industrial

the type and quality of fats and other compounds extracted from the alpechin.

the quality and cost effectiveness of the new biopolymers incorporating the compounds that result from the pilot scale liquefaction process

the quality of and suitability of the purified compounds for use in the fine chemistry.

Progress

The liquefaction process study at laboratory scale and the hydrophobation process study at semi-industrial scale are undergoing. The first trials of polyurethane, phenolic foams and phenolic resins obtained at laboratory scale with samples of biopolymer compounds derived from the liquefaction process at laboratory scale are encouraging. The process parameters and biopolymer formulations need to be optimised in the next few months in order to achieve better results in terms of final products quality, before launching the semi-industrial pilot scale study.

The first trials of alpechin filtration carried out at laboratory scale using standard filtration techniques integrating the orujillo as filtration aid have established the relationship between filtration kinetics and the recovery of fats. Both parameters need to be optimised in the next few months in order to find the best filtration parameters and conditions to optimise fat recovery at a high filtration velocity.

Discussion

BIOLIVE will help achieve multidimensional European social and environmental objectives, especially for rural populations depending on the culture of olive trees and production of olive oil for their livelihood. It will also benefit the whole European Community and industry by providing substitutes for the high level of petrochemical polymers used at present. Overall it is hoped that BIOLIVE will:

• enable the replacement of synthetic polymers derived from compounds of fossil origin, by new renewable biopolymers
• increase the biodegradability of polyurethane and phenolic resins and foams used in different manufacturing sectors partially purify olive oil waste waters
• provide alternatives to the disposal of fats and other contaminating compounds in rivers and on land as well as reducing the release of associated compounds into the atmosphere during evaporation in open air systems
• recycle and add value to the waste materials that pile up.

BIOLIVE will develop technology that will result in new products, new markets and new activities. These new activities should offer work all year long to local labour and should contribute to solve unemployment problems related to then seasonal activity associated with the olive harvest and oil production. The objectives and technologies have been selected to provide high added value to the benefit of the rural areas where olive cultivation takes place, providing additional revenue for the olive oil industry and competitive products for the polymer industry.

Future Actions

The activity continues with the assessment of the performance of the new processes at laboratory scale. The new processes will then be developed at semi-industrial scale. This will enable their cost effectiveness to be established. Project results will be disseminated, as they become encouraging and consistent.