Olive oil mill wastes re-use: UE technical legislation and spreadninnngsystem proposals

This paper shows the results of one deepened investigation on the technical legislation which to make reference for the olive oil wastes disposal in the UE Countries, starting from the Community directives related to the disposal of the industrial and agricultural waters, as well as of the wastes. Aim of the search has been that to furnish solutions to the problem of the spreading in field of such wastes really enjoyable by the oil industry and the olive growing. In fact, among the olive oil Countries, Italy is the only one in which the agronomic use of the olive oil mill wastes (omw) is permitted through a uniform spreading on the agrarian soil; the quantities to annually be distributed don't owe to be superior to 80 m3/ha for the centrifugal system mills and 50 m3/ha for those with pressure system. Moreover, specific dimensional criterions have been defined for tank-trucks destined to the controlled distribution in olive-grove of the omw, according by the law, as well as the technical-agronomic parameters related to the time of distribution. The Authors have designed a tank-truck prototype to such aim. The machine has been optimized by tests in olive-groves, through which the systems of distribution, transversal and longitudinal have been tested. Through such systems (software controlled) it is possible, in any operational condition, to guarantee a spreading of the waste, uniform on the whole interested surface according by law. This prerogative constitutes the main element of these agricultural machines for its influence on the work quality (performance); in fact, if the tank-truck offers enough guarantees of high performances, it is possible to exalt its agronomic efficiency and to plan the spreading, not as an economic solution relatively for the wastes disposal, but rather as a productive and ecological solution to furnish to the soil and to the crops a suitable reinstate some nutrients.