Olive Oil Production

Customer's voice

Batch olive oil production 

Alfa Laval offers a wide range of equipment designed for meeting the unique challenges of batch and small-scale continuous olive oil production. The flexible technology makes it easier to process different batches of locally sourced olives of widely varying specifications, with the control to fine-tune processes according to customers’ demands. We also ensure proven solutions for efficiently and reliably handling short, busy harvests. 

Flexibility and dependability to master small-scale production 

No matter the size of the mill or if the focus is on batch or small-scale continuous production, Alfa Laval can offer support with both cutting-edge technology and an unrivalled level of expertise. Designed with knowledge gained from more than 80 years of experience in the industry, the Alfa Laval portfolio includes flexible solutions that allow customers to independently manage production. From an easily scalable batch malaxer to the complete and compact AlfaOliver 500 continuous extraction line, this full range of equipment is easily adaptable to meet production increases. It decreases as well as the shifting tastes of consumers.   

Achieve artisan quality from every batch: 

• Proven technology that puts industrial-level productivity and reliability into the hands of artisan olive oil mills 

• Versatility to handle olives that vary considerably in type, volume, and quality 

• Compact equipment for lines that are easy to install in mills with limited space availabilities   

• An experienced partner with the expertise to help achieve the quality product that consumers crave 

• Process control that allows for flexibility to adjust to harvest circumstances or market changes.

Medium-scale olive oil production

Olive oil mills that produce on a medium scale represent a large and growing sector of the industry. For businesses of this size, Alfa Laval provides solutions that allow access to the same advanced technological possibilities of the biggest players, while simultaneously preserving the essence of artisan production. 

Best-of-the-best technology, sized to fit your needs 

With more than eight decades of experience in the industry, Alfa Laval can support medium-scale olive oil producers with both the equipment and the expertise required to gain a competitive advantage. Customers can take advantage of proven technology like Atmosphere Round Malaxers, sized specifically for individual capacity requirements. These solutions enable producers to take advantage of the latest advanced innovations for increasing energy efficiency and product yield, while at the same time offering the meticulous control needed to maintain the quality of olive oils. 

Solutions and knowledge to support business growth: 

• Proven decanter technology with high efficiency, yield, and uptime for both two- and three-phase extraction 

• Solutions designed specifically to meet the capacity needs of medium-scale production 

• Advanced innovations that allow customers to get the most from every harvest without sacrificing the quality of products   

• A range of decanters and disc stack separators with unique features that provide the market’s highest energy efficiency  

• Quality standards in the design and manufacturing process that ensure high mechanical reliability throughout the portfolio 

Industrial-scale production

For large olive oil mills, staying competitive takes reliable, continuous production that simultaneously delivers consistent quality and high yield – all while keeping expenses as low as possible. It’s a complex challenge, but Alfa Laval delivers with industry-first innovations and highly efficient technologies that enable producers to get the most from every olive while maintaining control to ensure consistency and shrink costs. 

Large-scale solutions for dependable profitability 

Alfa Laval has been a partner to large-scale olive oil producers for many decades. With feedback from close collaboration with customers, Alfa Laval has been able to continuously innovate new solutions for improved efficiency, boosted yield, greater process control, and increased mechanical reliability and fatigue resistance. Today, Alfa Laval offers space-saving technology that allows large operators to improve output with the assurance of consistent quality, continuous uptime, and lower operational costs. From the optimized SIGMA series, to auxiliary equipment that sets an industry standard in crushing, mixing, and temperature control efficiency, all of the large-scale equipment is backed up by a global service organization and world-class support. 

Solutions and knowledge to support business growth: 

• Highly-efficient equipment, engineered to provide the maximum yields at the highest capacities 

• Manufacturing with strong, carefully-selected materials, reducing the risk of wear during high-capacity production 

• Reduced energy and water consumption, as well as drastic roll-backs in waste disposal 

• Lower OPEX as a result of lower energy, water, and disposal costs, ensuring a rapid payback time 

• Proven mechanical reliability, giving strong assurance of 24/7 equipment availability 

Efficient olive oil by-product recovery 

Recovering low-grade pomace oil from wet husk after the first extraction can be a smart way to boost revenues. Unfortunately, traditional rotary-dryer-based methods of by-product production result in high energy consumption and large volumes of black water. That’s why Alfa Laval has developed processing systems that offer efficient and sustainable dewatering, with low operating costs. It’s an environmentally responsible way to increase profitability. 

Transforming waste into profit 

Today’s by-product processing entails a range of challenges, from increased volume of wet husk and restrictive emissions regulations, to an unstable market for oil and dry husks. Alfa Laval has developed a range of solutions to tackle these with the industry’s latest innovations. This includes a critical advancement in three-phase decanters that offers better dewatering with 100% greater drying capacity, as well as specific technology for small-particle recovery. For management of black water, AlfaFlash offers a compact flash evaporation system that cuts down on disposal needs while improving the quality of the resulting by-products. And since no condensate is burned at the trommel, AlfaFlash also makes it easier to meet new environmental requirements.  

Cutting down on energy and disposal costs: 

• Improved husk dewatering with Alfa Laval’s new-generation three-phase decanters, featuring a 20 kNm gearbox 

• Reduced evaporation costs and less investment required in new trommels, with technology that offers double the drying capacity 

• Minimized fine particle accumulation in rafts, with large decanter technology engineered for better clarification 

• AlfaFlash, an environmentally responsible solution to black water that minimizes disposal requirements and gas emissions 

• Value of by-products raised with concentrate and distilled water that increase business profitability 

Improving your everyday processes

Master millers know that every part of their processing – from olive reception to storage of the oil – can always be improved. Optimizing your yield, improving phenols and aromatic components, or minimizing your water and energy consumption can significantly boost your bottom line over time. Take advantage of our innovative solutions and years of industry experience to avoid common issues and improve each process step in the extraction process.