Abstract
Building a system that consists of a combination of geothermal component (water well (pit)) and heat recovery from aerobic biological fermentation of olive cake for hot water production at an olive mill is examined in this work. Hot water is essential for mill operation and constitutes a main operational cost, and in many countries, including Jordan, it is normally produced using diesel fuel. In this process, treated and untreated olive cake was characterized. Results show that olive cake is rich in crude fiber and NFE, contains moderate amounts of crude protein and fat, and a good amount of ash. The as-received moisture content ranged from 33.3 to 35.6%, while water activity was between 0.93 and 0.96. The total counts, thermophilic bacteria, and the total mold count of fermentation ranged, respectively, from 2.1 × 108 to 2.4 × 108, 1.7 × 104 to 1.9 × 104, and 1.5 × 102 to 1.7 × 102. The temperature results showed that the well and the covered tank led to a rise in water temperature before entering the boiler in the range of 7 to 13°C. The system effected significant raises in water temperature entering the boiler ranging from 19°C up to 25°C, which holds a promising potential for the system to satisfy much of the mills needs at this range of temperature before entering the boiler provided a large enough pile (pile scale up) is used to handle larger flow rates. The exhausted cake may well be utilized as a soil organic fertilizer.
Highlights
In most Mediterranean countries including Jordan, olive tree culture goes back to many centuries, and olive trees in the region enjoy a special cultural and economic signi cance
In Jordan alone, there are more than 110 olive mills that process olive fruits for olive oil production. e latter enjoys several proven health advantages [1, 2]
In addition to olive oil, two other materials are produced by olive processing mills, namely, the solid residue and wastewater as by-products, both of which constitute a serious environmental risk if not adequately disposed of or properly utilized [3]. us, numerous researches have investigated the olive oil industry by-products and wastes
Summary
In most Mediterranean countries including Jordan, olive tree culture goes back to many centuries, and olive trees in the region enjoy a special cultural and economic signi cance. In Jordan alone, there are more than 110 olive mills that process olive fruits for olive oil production. In addition to olive oil, two other materials are produced by olive processing mills, namely, the solid residue and wastewater as by-products, both of which constitute a serious environmental risk if not adequately disposed of or properly utilized [3]. A strong correlation was observed between olive oil production and environmental pollution, and researchers became concerned with the basic issue of the wastes produced after extracting oil from the fruits. Olive cake, which is considered a major solid pollutant, constitutes more than 80% of the Journal of Food Quality consumed olives and depends on olive varieties and the extraction process. Olive cake is utilized as a fuel due to its relatively high energy content [5] and as a raw material for soap making due to its high-quality oil content of about 5% to 8% [13]
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