COMPANY NAME
Sociedad Cooperativa Montevirgen
COUNTRY
SPAIN
SECTOR
Agrifood
CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODEL
Recovery and recycling
CHALLENGE
S.C. Montevirgen faced significant environmental and operational hurdles in the lye treatment stage of its table olive production process. In particular, the company experienced high water consumption (2.50 m³ per tonne of olives processed) and the generation of large volumes of highly polluting wastewater (1.6 m³ per tonne). This waste, stored in evaporation ponds, led to high management costs (€3.40 per m³), local environmental impacts and a growing dependence on expanding pond capacity. Additionally, the process required substantial quantities of fresh sodium hydroxide (NaOH), further increasing both operational costs and the company’s environmental footprint.
SOLUTION
Through the CIRC2SAVE feasibility study, the company validated a circular system to reuse alkaline effluents (lye and wash water) to prepare new sodium hydroxide solutions for subsequent olive batches.
This approach reduces freshwater demand and wastewater discharge by more than 45%, while maintaining the quality of the final product.
By transforming a problematic waste stream into a valuable resource, the solution significantly lowers operational and waste management costs.
CIRCULAR ECONMY STRATEGIES/BUSINESS MODEL IMPLEMENTED
The CIRC2SAVE project successfully applied four key circular strategies to optimize resource loops:
- Narrow: reducing the input of virgin NaOH and freshwater by using the wastewaters from lye treatment.
- Slow: extending the use of the liquid volume by ensuring it remains within the production system for longer periods through multiple reuses.
- Close the loop: reintroducing wastewater (used NaOH solution or washing water) as a functional input, effectively transforming “waste” into a fresh NaOH solution for the production cycle.
- Regeneration: Establishing the technical framework to treat wastewater as a co-product, allowing it to be reused at least twice before disposal
IMPACT
The initiative has delivered measurable environmental, economic and social improvements at pilot scale, with significant potential for industrial and regional scaling:
Environmental impact:
- Reduction in water consumption from 2.50 m³ to 1.80 m³ per tonne of produced olives.
- Significant decrease in wastewater generation, dropping from 1.60 m³ to 0.80 m³ per tonne of produced olives.
Economic impact:
- 50% reduction in annual waste management costs (estimated saving of €9,130 for an annual 3,000-tonne production.
- Reduction in NaOH consumption from 45 kg to 38 kg per tonne of olives through efficient reuse.
- Improved return on investment by halting the annual 15% expansion of evaporation pond surfaces.
Social impact:
- High potential for knowledge transfer to over 100 regional SMEs and the 12 cooperatives within the 2º Degree cooperative to which Montevirgen is linked.
- Increased member and employee satisfaction by aligning industrial processes with sustainable development goals
KEY TAKEAWAY
Reusing alkaline wastewater is a technically and economically viable strategy for the table olive sector. By treating waste as a resource, companies can achieve substantial cost savings and environmental protection without compromising product quality.