Olive leaf multi-product cascade-based biorefinery: From an under-used biomass in the primary sector to tailor-made solutions for high added-value international market applications (OLEAF4VALUE)

PROJECT TITLE: Olive leaf multi-product cascade-based biorefinery: From an under-used biomass in the primary sector to tailor-made solutions for high added-value international market applications (OLEAF4VALUE)
GRANT NUMBER: 101023256 — OLEAF4VALUE
PROJECT LEADER: Jakub Sandak, PhD
PERIOD: 01.07.2021 – 30.06.2024
BUDGET: €5,687,060.00 (€341,875.00 for InnoRenew CoE)
FINANCING: EU, Horizon 2020 – Bio-based Industries
COORDINATOR: Natac Biotech SL (Spain)
PARTNERS: NATAC BIOTECH SL (Spain), OLEICOLA EL TEJAR NUESTRA SENORA DEARACELI S COOP AND (Spain), INGECOR AGROFORESTAL SL (Spain), INNORENEW COE (Slovenia), FUNDACION CENER (Spain), INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DE BRAGANÇA (Portugal), BIOCHEMIZE SL (Spain), UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE (Italy), NIZO FOOD RESEARCH BV (Netherlands), MARTIN-LUTHER-UNIVERSITAET HALLE-WITTENBERG (Germany), HAVFORSKNINGSINSTITUTTET (INSTITUTE OF MARINE RESEARCH) (Norway), MIBELLE AG (Switzerland), EURIZON SL (Spain), ZERO EMISSIONS ENGINEERING BV (Netherlands), NNFCC LIMITED (United Kingdom), MOWI FEED AS (Norway)

OLEAF4VALUE is a three-year project that will develop a complete valorization system for the olive leaf. Globally, 4.5 million tons of olive leaves are produced annually by the olive oil industry, a key industry in southern Europe and along the Mediterranean coast. This recalcitrant biomass represents a problem for both farmers and the whole industry as it needs to be removed from the fields and olive oil mills. Currently, this biomass is burned, given to cattle, or, in some cases, combusted to produce energy. OLEAF4VALUE will set up the basis for a smart value chain based on a newly developed 4.0 concept, Smart Dynamic Multi-Valorization-Route Biorefinery (SAMBIO), for the cascade valorization of olive leaf biomass according to its physicochemical composition, particularly modulated by specific pretreatments to produce target products. Advanced green extraction and isolation technologies will be used to sequentially separate all valuable fractions and compounds with a zero-waste approach according to end-user market needs from high-value sectors: food, feed, health, cosmetics, pharma and chemicals.

InnoRenew CoE project activities

InnoRenew CoE will lead development and implementation of efficient, low-cost and portable sensors for olive leaf screening, development and validation of chemometric models that merge reference data with VIS-NIR spectra and development of a Biomass Suitability Index for olive leaves’ physical and chemical properties. InnoRenew CoE will also conduct smart supply chain analysis for the investigated biomass and develop efficient optimization methods based on its identified unique characteristics.