New technician of extraction equipment equipment of oil

The technology Oilpulse integrates in almazaras of production of conventional oil to which add them some minimum technical modifications that allow to apply small electrical downloads to the olives. Oilpulse, funded by the EU and developed by Ateknea Solutions, finds in the previous phase to his commercialisation and the researchers are very optimistic: “we Are studying if the parameters of the conventional process can optimise to increase the advantages contributed”, affirms Arturo Portugal, attendant of the project.

“Once the olive goes in in the process of conventional production tritura, generally without pitting, remaining a pasta that flows to the termobatidora”, explains Arturo Portugal, engineer in Ateknea Solutions and attendant of the steering and execution of Oilpulse, a project funded by the European Union that consists in the application of electrical downloads to the olives to simplify and increase the production of oil. “In Oilpulse, the pasta goes through a camera of special download before going in in the termobatidora, an enclosed camera where apply voltages very elevated to the pasta that flows between the electrodes. The download has a minimum length, is practically instantaneous, by what does not heat as it requires the manufacturing of the oil of virgin olive extra”. The Spanish office Ateknea Solutions has been the attendant to develop the project with the collaboration of Oils Malagón and beside other 3 partners more: Technical University of Berlin, D'Addato Agroalimentare, and the manufacturer of machinery oleícola Hakki Usta.

Although the phase of investigation and development have finished, the pilot plant of Oils Malagón continues working to obtain more data.

Although the phase of investigation and development of the project has concluded, the pilot plant of Oils Malagón continues working to obtain the figures and parameters of the process that maximicen the profitability of the system before his commercialisation. “Reduce the times of termobatido would suppose an additional energetic profit, and in almanzaras where the production was limited by this parameter, would suppose the possibility to increase his capacity of production without having to invest in a new line or change machines”, comments Arturo Portugal, that besides adds that “these reductions would allow to increase the quality of the oil produced because of the lower oxidation and aeration of the pasta”. With this technology, that allows to transform the olives by means of the known ‘pressesing in cold', generate fewer wastes, allows to obtain a richer oil in fitonutrientes and lengthens the useful life of the final product.

The electrical download that the olives trituradas receive in the almanzara apply voltages very high during a length of minimum time.

The attendant of the steering and execution of the project, Arturo Portugal, affirms that “the potential profit of the technology comes so much of the increase in the quantity of oil produced as of his quality. The consumer could obtain an oil of greater quality to lower price, whereas the industrial would benefit of a greater competitiveness in the sector”, fact very important if we take into account the entrance of new competitors like Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, Australia or EE UU, that have big extensions of apt terrain for the crop and that they could put in grave danger the sector in Spain. In these moments Oilpulse finds in the previous phase to his commercialisation, but the researchers that lead the project already contemplate that in the future it could apply to the mechanical extraction equipment equipment of other oils, so much edible as of biodiésel.