BioMatNet Item: FAIR-CT97-3620 - Composting of husks produced by two phase centrifugation olive oil milling plants

FAIR-CT97-3620
Composting of husks produced by two phase centrifugation olive oil milling plants

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Agricultural Residues : Biological Conversion : Composts/Fertilisers : FAIR Area 1.2 - Green Chemicals and Polymers Chain

	Type of Project	Shared Cost
	Contract No	FAIR-CT97-3620
	Total Cost	1,118,350 ECU
	EC Contribution	730,000 ECU
	Start Date	01/02/1998
	Duration	36 Months

Composting of husks produced by two phase centrifugation olive oil milling plants

Objectives

The two-phase centrifugation technology, recently introduced in the European olive milling plants, seems to resolve olive milling problems by dramatically reducing the quantity of wastewater produced. However, this shifts the problem to husks, which have greater water content and higher phenol concentration.

Technical Approach

The present project will select suitable microbial strains and test two different composting technologies (composting pile and composting reactor, horizontal and vertical) in order to find an energetically and economically acceptable solution to the problem of husks disposal from new olive milling technology.

The following steps are envisaged in implementing this project:

Characterise husks and determine analysis methodologies.
Prepare of starter cultures for composting by selecting aerobic bacteria and mycetes able to degrade toxic compounds present in the husks. The selected cultures will be obtained conventionally from enrichment cultures produced in the laboratory. Materials particularly rich in microflora will also be tested as inoculum.
Produce compost correctly balanced for nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus by addition of different wastes and biomass (wastewater from sugar-refineries, yeast production plants, wineries, breweries, sludge sewage disposal plant, manure and fibrous wastes) to husks.
Set up new reliable bioindicators that give rapid results in order to monitor the process and check the compost maturity
Set up molecular biology techniques to check the hygienic property of the compost in relation to the presence of the most significant pathogenic microorganisms;
Test the agronomic suitability of the produced compost. Agronomic trials will be performed at the experimental plots of Experimental Institute of Plant Nutrition of Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, in Gorizia.
Design and test two composting processes at different technological testing plants (0.1-0.3 cubic m/day). A horizontal reactor and a two step vertical reactor will be used. The composting pile will be built up in all the involved countries to test different husks under different climatic conditions.
Assess the cost and techno-economic feasibility of the process.

Expected Results

The project is expected to design a simple composting technology, supported by selected microbial strains, able to solve the problems caused by husks produced in two phase olive oil production. This will reduce the environmental impact of the husks and the costs for discharge of wet husks. Furthermore, the compost produced will be available for use as a fertiliser. The proposed technology will have low environmental impact (emissions) and will be energetically and economically suitability for use by SMEs.

Contacts

Coordinator

Dr Claudia SORLINI / University of Milan Dept of Food Science and Microbiology / ITALY

EC Scientific Officer

Adelmo MOREALE / European Commission DG VI Agriculture BELGIUM

Participant