He Agrosec operational group developed, in collaboration with the RATE research group of the University of Cordoba (UCO), a innovative system dehydrator which take advantage of the leftover olivesone of the most numerous agricultural by-products of Andalusia, to control humidity in the agri-food industry.
As detailed by the project promoters, this advance is part of a circular economy strategy which seeks to transform agricultural waste into useful and sustainable materials, giving them a second use and generating more added value to the agricultural process of the olive sector, which occupies the most hectares, and therefore generates the most waste, in the region.
Specifically, this project, in which, in addition to the UCO, the Citoliva and Cetemet technology centers, as well as the SmartMaterials and Coloryn companies, collaborate, focuses on the creation of ecological and biodegradable filaments For 3D Printers whose material basis is the remains of pruning of the olive grove.
The result allows to reduce humidity in clean rooms used in the Iberian products industry.
These The filaments are used to make desiccant systems of high efficiencydesigned for reduce humidity in clean rooms food industrywhere air quality is essential. These types of premises are those used in the production of food products, such as different types of Iberian foods, among others.
He system dehumidification system developed in Andalusia, low cost and high energy efficiencypromise improve safety and efficiency of the productive processes At reduce the appearance of moldslow down corrosion and minimize the risk of accidents due to personnel falls.
Eco-friendly and biodegradable filaments are created in 3D printers from leftovers
The team is developing a prototype based on a 3D printed desiccant wheelas well as a data acquisition system that will allow it to monitor its performance in real time and supervise the process remotely, thanks to data stored in the cloud.
During the first year of work, Agrosec has succeeded in manufacturing filaments of the size remains and has carried out exhaustive tests to characterize the material. In the current phase, there is evaluate different prototypes to scale to determine the geometry and printing parameters that optimize water vapor adsorption capacity.
Real test this winter
As they detailed, in The manufacturing of the desiccant wheel will begin soon and of final prototypewhile the developed equipment will be installed this coming winter in Coloryn’s facilities, to test its performance in a real environment.
As the operational group pointed out Agrosec“does not only represent a a significant step forward for the food industrybut also illustrates the potential of the circular economy by valorizing agricultural by-products and making desiccant technology accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises that need to control humidity in their production processes.
He the project was funded for him European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (FEADER) through the Andalusian Rural Development Programme 2014-2022, and the Junta de Andalucía, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.
