Sustainable Low-Carbon Hydrogen Potential from the Olive Oil Industry Waste

Abstract

The olive oil market, valued at almost €14 billion in 2023 has tripled its produc-tion over the last 60 years, reaching 3.27 109 kg in 2020. Spain leads the production, accounting for 70% in the European Union and 45% worldwide. This land-intensive in-dustry has significant social, environmental, economic, and territorial impacts, with de-centralized waste generation being a major concern. Sustainable waste management is a fundamental objective. One potential solution is using this waste for low-carbon hydro-gen production through thermochemical processes (e.g. gasification or pyrolysis). This is particularly relevant when hydrogen-consuming industries are nearby. Given this con-text, this work proposes a methodology for assessing the potential of olive grove residues from a sustainability perspective. Our approach uses high-level data from public sources to estimate transport costs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with biomass collec-tion. We identify and quantify suitable waste sources, their locations, and associated hy-drogen production potential. The application of the method is validated through a case study in southern Spain, a major olive oil producer with significant industrial hydrogen consumers nearby. Results indicate that using only available olive grove residues is not currently sustainable for meeting the region’s hydrogen demand, covering merely 0.6% of requirements. This result is the consequence of the current use of olive grove biomass, suggesting the need for revised waste management strategies or alternative resources to increase sustainable hydrogen production. The application of the proposed methodology to other regions can help identify the sustainable potential of using this and similar wastes to produce low-carbon hydrogen.