The platform IndustriAmbiente has published an article about the LIFECYCLOPS project, funded by the LIFE Programme of the European Union, which promotes a circular solution aimed at revalorizing the by-products generated by the olive oil industry, with special emphasis on the recovery of polyphenols. This project is coordinated by Cetaqua - Water Technology Centre and involves the collaboration of Borges Agricultura & Industrial Edible Oils (BAIEO), Unió Origen, Unió Nuts, and our group from the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry of the CSIC. Currently, alperujo —the main by-product of this industry—is sent to oil pomace extractors, where the remaining oil is extracted and then incinerated to produce energy. This process results in high emissions of CO₂ and other gases. The main objective of LIFECYCLOPS is to revalorize this alperujo by recovering high value-added compounds, such as polyphenols. We also improve these polyphenols by enzymatic reactions.
