The European Union has updated its renewable energy targets, increasing the goal from 22% to 42.5% by 2030 with the new DIRECTIVE (EU) 2023/2413. This directive supports the EU’s REPowerEU Plan, aiming for 35 billion cubic meters of sustainable biomethane production annually by 2030. In Spain, the «Biogas Roadmap» sets a target of 10.41 TWh/year of biogas production by 2030. The Spanish Gas Association (Sedigas) estimates a biomethane production potential of 163 TWh/year, with 3.9% from agro-industrial waste.
Spain leads global olive oil production, averaging 1325 thousand tonnes annually over the last decade, representing 44% of global production. Olive oil production involves crushing olives, kneading the mass with heat, and separating the oil using a decanter centrifuge]. Traditional pneumatic presses are still used in some areas. The decanter separates oil, pomace, and wastewater (alpechín), with the 3-phase method requiring significant water addition. To mitigate environmental issues, the 2-phase process, which generates only oil and a pomace-water mix, is predominantly used in Spain.
In 2015, PIERALISI MAIP introduced the Leopard decanter with Multi-phase (DMF) technology, combining the benefits of 2- and 3-phase systems, reducing water use, and producing stone-free pâté suitable for various applications. This study aims to evaluate the methanogenic capacity of pomace from a two-phase system versus pâté from a multi-phase system on a laboratory scale.
