LIFE Comp0live attends INNOAGRO

The University of Jaén, partner of the project, has presented the advances of LIFE Comp0live, in the I Innovation Forum for permanent woody crops, Innoagro, which closes today in Jaén.

During the exhibition, Mª Dolores La Rubia, a researcher at the University of Jaén, addressed the main objectives of LIFE-COMP0LIVE focused on the recovery of pruning waste and the reduction of the consumption of plastics of fossil origin. The stages of the project, which is currently in the prototyping and validation phase, have been described, highlighting the technical feasibility of using olive pruning as a polymer reinforcement in industrial parts in the automotive and furniture sectors.

After the presentation, some prototypes of car parts developed in the project were shown.

LIFE Comp0live, a European project led by Andaltec, demonstrates at an industrial level the use of olive pruning as a reinforcement in biocomposites, with applications in the automotive and domestic and urban furniture sectors, among others. This project arises from the need to revalue waste from olive groves, given the volume that is generated annually throughout the Mediterranean area and the few applications that currently exist. In this way, the main objective is to develop a new generation of biocomposites based on olive pruning waste for industrial applications, promoting the substitution of non-renewable resources through the sustainable design of wood-based fiber products. With this, it is intended to revalue this waste and reduce CO2 emissions.

On the other hand, it wants to create three new business models related to waste management within the new value chain of the olive sector: fibers for the automotive industry, outdoor furniture and home furnishings. In addition, its objective is to enhance the sensitivity and awareness of the primary sector by promoting economic and ecological management of olive grove waste.