Spain’s olive oil producers are revolutionizing the use of olive pits, transforming them from a byproduct into a valuable resource for biofuel. In addition to producing half of the European Union’s olive oil, Spain started using hundreds of thousands of tons of olive pits to power homes, mills, and even airplanes. These pits, which account for up to 10% of an olive crop’s weight, are extracted during oil production, cleaned, dried, and turned into fuel. This innovative use of olive pits comes at a time when sustainable energy sources are in high demand, particularly in the wake of rising energy costs following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The shift has created new revenue streams for farmers, with around one-third of olive pits sold for home heating, yielding up to 300 euros per ton. The remaining pits are used to power traditional olive mills and industrial boilers. Additionally, the petrochemical company Cepsa is incorporating olive pits into a sustainable aviation fuel blend, which powered 200 flights from Sevilla last year. As demand for cleaner, more sustainable energy grows globally, Spain’s olive oil industry is proving that nothing goes to waste—even olive pits are a valuable asset for sustainable energy and economic growth.
