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Project Topic
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SURFOLY is based on a circular economy approach to produce two innovative animal feeds for lactating and fattening small ruminants (sheeps and goats) in the Mediterranean area. The new feed contains olive oil by-products (pomace, stone and polyphenols from wastewaters) utilised in an innovative way to improve performance and product quality and reduce the overall environmental impact on the life cycle of the crop-livestock system. Pomace from olive mills is either centrifuged to separate the olive stone (three phases process) or dryed (two phase process), products are then pyrolyzed at the pilot scale facility at UNIPG. Char obtained is subsequently utilised to reduce the COD of olive mill wastewaters by absorbing polyphenols, hence reducing significantly the polluting impact of their disposal. The polyphenols enriched char has antioxidant potential and can reduce methane emissions from ruminants therefore it is added to dried pomace (from three phases or two phases) to produce a nutrient mix which is eventually pelletised and used as ingredient in the new formula for sheep and goats. After preliminary activity on lab scale to optimise the process, the pomace-char-polyphenols pelletised mixture will be produced on pilot scale in real operational environment at the pilot facility of University of Perugia (UNIPG) and in local olive Mills. Two different formulas (lactating or fattening) will be devised by ALF, both for sheeps and goats, containing the pelletised mixture in different percentages, and preliminary produced in small lots at UNIPG, to test palatability on few animals, while the definitive formula will be produced on pilot quantity at ALF MABROUK industrial plant (ALF) in Morocco, where UNIPG will ship the pelletised nutrient mix. The new feeds will be tested on a yearlong campaign on sheep (5 farms at 30 animals per farm, in 2 olive producing area of Morocco, (i.e. Tadla, and Elkalaa) and shipped to Lebanon tests on goats (30 animal at American University of Beirut, AUB, and 200 animals from different herds in the olive Bekaa region in Lebanon). Grazing in olive groves will be proposed to further optimize the mixed crop-livestock system with olive leaves integrating the diet, while their char enriched manure fertilizes the groves. The effect of the new diet and system will be verified on animal well-being, on feed digestibility and palatability and by measuring the reduction of methane emissions. For this latter measurement portable industrial methane sniffers will be used in the proximity of the animal mouth and nostrils during lactation and/or feeding Also the quality of the product will be evaluated (meat, milk, wool and manure). The overall technical, economical and environmental assessment will be evaluated for the three main actors operating in the circular economy: olive mills, feed manufacturers and farmers.
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