Gate-to-gate life cycle and techno-economic assessment of olive pomace gasification for renewable electricity and biochar production in Morocco

This work explores the potential of agroindustrial waste gasification as a solution to enhance environmental sustainability within Morocco’s olive oil industry through a real case study following the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. A “gate-to-gate” approach was followed, with one kilogram of unpacked virgin olive oil as the functional unit. A baseline scenario characterized by the current value chain of virgin olive oil production in Morocco is compared with three alternative scenarios integrating a gasification plant within an olive oil mill. The proposed setup includes a downdraft fixed-bed gasifier fueled with olive pomace, a producer gas conditioning unit, and an engine-generator set, which can be connected to the electrical grid. In addition to renewable electricity, the gasification plant produces biochar, a particularly advantageous by-product for use as a soil amendment. The results from the LCA reveal that the gasification plant allows decreasing most of the environmental impacts of olive oil production compared to the conventional management approaches. The findings suggest that traditional olive pomace management practices in Morocco have substantial potential for enhancement, with several environmental impact categories demonstrating improvements above 400% in the alternative scenarios. In terms of climate change, the environmental impact of the functional unit is reduced by over 300% if biogenic carbon dioxide emissions are excluded. Furthermore, a complementary economic feasibility analysis indicates that the integration of gasification can be financially viable with government support, with a discounted payback periods of approximately 10 years under a 30% capital investment subsidy. Accordingly, the integration of gasification provides a promising and economically viable approach for fostering more sustainable olive oil production practices in Morocco. • Three alternative scenarios are compared to the baseline of current practices in Morocco. • Most environmental indicators improve from the baseline to the alternative scenarios. • Five environmental impact categories improve by over 400% compared to the baseline scenario. • The fossil-based climate change impact in the alternative scenarios decreases by over 300%. • Economic analysis shows viability under a 30% subsidy, with a payback period of ∼ 10 years.