New drying system for an efficient utilization of olive waste

BIOSEC is a Moroccan SME specialized in the extraction of olive pomace oil. Currently, the company has an olive pomace oil extraction unit in Meknes with a capacity of 40,000 tons per year of olive pomace, processing pomace from various regions of Morocco.

To better valorize waste from olive crushing, BIOSEC sought the support of the GVC team for the installation of an olive pomace drying line in Kasba Tadla. This installation complements its existing factory in Meknes, with the aim of avoiding the transport of wet olive pomace from Beni Mellal region to Meknes, while also upgrading the overall equipment infrastructure.

This initiative contributes to a substantial decrease in the weight of olive pomace, leading to a more efficient transportation system and reduced fuel consumption. Moreover, it creates around forty direct employment opportunities in Meknes and an equivalent number in Tadla.

Furthermore, this initiative results in a reduction in electricity consumption of up to 102 MWh, representing a decrease of 38% compared to the old drying line. In addition to a saving of 105,350 liters of diesel per year, equivalent to 30% of the fuel typically required for the transportation of wet olive pomace from Beni Mellal to Meknes over 250 kilometers.

This investment supported by the Green Value Chain financing program, allows BIOSEC to annually reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 298.54 Teq CO2, while facilitating the collection of 20,000 tons of olive pomace per year. These residues are used as biofuel, thereby avoiding the use of 8,700 tons of fuel oil per year.

Green Value Chain (GVC) in Morocco is a credit facility of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development(EBRD) to provide funding to local partner financial institutions for on-lending to Moroccan SMEs belonging to agribusiness, processing industries and logistics value chains and ecosystems. Supported by the European Union, the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Korean Technical Assistance and Cooperation Account (KTACA) and the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund (EBRD SSF), the facility aims to improve competitiveness of SMEs and that of their value chains and ecosystems through highly efficient green investments.