This year, Sales Mancha Real begins with a pioneering business project for diversifying its activities related to the biomass combustion and the olive grove. It consists in selling crushed and dried olive pits.

Juan De Dios Valverde, Manager of the company, says that biomass can be a very useful fuel because its high calorific power. “Just two kilos of pit produce the same calories than a litre of oil”, Valverde explains.

Apart from being a heating system more and more used, the Junta de Andalucía subsidizes the instalment of this kind of boilers. Valverde comments that due to its main activity, the salt, they met many companies which install biomass boilers and these companies propose to this company the idea of buying and distributing the crushed olive pit. In north of Spain it is usual to get biomass from wood waste of the sawmill and from almond shells. “In Jaén we have a lot of olive pits which are a very useful fuel. Our idea is treating, drying and packing these pits in sacks of 25 kilos and on a large scale in bivouacs of 800 kilos”, the manager explained.

The same companies which install boilers and people who use them will be its customers. “One sack of 25 kilos is the average cost of this type of fuel in a common home”.    

At the moment, they have been kept with the complete production of olive pits of one of the six olive oil mills which exist in the village of Mancha Real.

This year 2009 will be the beginning of this new activity although some sales have been already made. “We are stockpiling olive pits but it is a slow process at this moment because the last rain storms have caused a late grinding in the olive oil mills.       

The company has dedicated a building of 800 m2 for the storage which may be of 400 tonnes. The crushed pits are paid to the olive oil mill. The price, which is variable, t is about 0.05 € per kilo now. “In the province of Jaén there is not another company dedicated to dry, pack and distribute the olive pit”, Valverde said.

The same machinery used for treating the salt, is also used for packing the rushed pit: chutes and movement machinery (wheelbarrow and shovels). The distribution is made with three vehicles: a van for carrying one thousand kilos, a truck for 6 tonnes and other truck for 12 tonnes.

The initial prospects are great because it is a new business area with few companies in Andalusia dedicated to it and with institutional support.  The biomass boilers are every day more economic and people decide to buy them thanks to their advantages.  

Source: Ideal Expectativas