{"id":659455,"date":"2025-03-29T18:15:19","date_gmt":"2025-03-29T15:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/tunisian-startup-turns-olive-waste-into-clean-energy\/"},"modified":"2025-03-29T18:15:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-29T15:15:19","slug":"tunisian-startup-turns-olive-waste-into-clean-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tunisian-startup-turns-olive-waste-into-clean-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"Tunisian startup turns olive waste into clean energy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af4956bae464\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af4956bae464\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tunisian-startup-turns-olive-waste-into-clean-energy\/#The_soul_of_olives\" >The soul of olives<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tunisian-startup-turns-olive-waste-into-clean-energy\/#%E2%80%98Protect_the_environment\" >&#8216;Protect the environment&#8217;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/the-start-up-was-found.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/the-start-up-was-found.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"The start-up was founded in 2022 to tackle the waste from Tunisia's lucrative olive harvest.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/the-start-up-was-found.jpg\" alt=\"The start-up was founded in 2022 to tackle the waste from Tunisia's lucrative olive harvest\" title=\"The start-up was founded in 2022 to tackle the waste from Tunisia's lucrative olive harvest.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                The start-up was founded in 2022 to tackle the waste from Tunisia&#8217;s lucrative olive harvest.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In a northern Tunisian olive grove, Yassine Khelifi&#8217;s small workshop hums as a large machine turns olive waste into a valuable energy source in a country heavily reliant on imported fuel.<\/p>\n<p>Holding a handful of compacted olive residue\u2014a thick paste left over from oil extraction\u2014Khelifi said, &#8220;This is what we need today. How can we turn something worthless into wealth?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For generations, rural households in Tunisia have burned olive waste for cooking and heating, or used it as animal feed.<\/p>\n<p>The International Olive Council estimated Tunisia will be the world&#8217;s third-largest olive oil producer in 2024-2025, with an expected yield of 340,000 tonnes.<\/p>\n<p>The waste generated by the oil extraction is staggering.<\/p>\n<p>Khelifi, an engineer who grew up in a family of farmers, founded Bioheat in 2022 to tackle the issue. He recalled watching workers in olive mills use the olive residue as fuel.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I always wondered how this material could burn for so long without going out,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That&#8217;s when I asked myself: &#8216;Why not turn it into energy?'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Beyond profit, Khelifi hopes his startup helps &#8220;reducing the use of firewood as the country faces deforestation and climate change.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>At his workshop, employees transport truckloads of olive waste, stacking it high before feeding it into the processing machines.<\/p>\n<p>The material is then compacted into cylindrical briquettes and left to dry for a month under the sun and in greenhouses before its packaging and sale.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/the-start-up-is-also-h.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/the-start-up-is-also-h.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"The start-up is also helping to tackle the country's overreliance on imported petrol and gas.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/the-start-up-is-also-h.jpg\" alt=\"The start-up is also helping to tackle the country's overreliance on imported petrol and gas\" title=\"The start-up is also helping to tackle the country's overreliance on imported petrol and gas.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                The start-up is also helping to tackle the country&#8217;s overreliance on imported petrol and gas.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_soul_of_olives\"><\/span>The soul of olives<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Khelifi began developing his idea in 2018 after he <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ed across Europe searching for a machine to turn the olive paste into long-burning fuel.<\/p>\n<p>Unable to find the right <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>, he returned to Tunisia and spent four years experimenting with various motors and mechanical parts.<\/p>\n<p>By 2021, he had developed a machine that produced briquettes with just 8% moisture.<\/p>\n<p>He said this amount significantly reduces carbon emissions compared to firewood, which requires months of drying and often retains more than double the amount of moisture.<\/p>\n<p>Bioheat found a market among Tunisian restaurants, guesthouses, and schools in underdeveloped regions, where winter temperatures at times drop below freezing.<\/p>\n<p>But the majority of its production\u2014about 60%\u2014is set for exports to France and Canada, Khelifi said.<\/p>\n<p>The company now employs 10 people and is targeting production of 600 tonnes of briquettes in 2025, he added.<\/p>\n<p>Selim Sahli, 40, who runs a guesthouse, said he replaced traditional firewood with Khelifi&#8217;s briquettes for heating and cooking.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s clean, easy to use, and has reduced my heating costs by a third.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mohamed Harrar, the owner of a pizza shop on the outskirts of Tunis, praised the briquettes for reducing smoke emissions, which he said previously irritated his neighbors.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Besides, this waste carries the soul of Tunisian olives and gives the pizza a special flavor,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/a-man-arranges-rolls-o.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/a-man-arranges-rolls-o.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"A man arranges rolls of olive pomace at the grounds of start-up Bioheat in the town of Sanhaja near Tunis.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/a-man-arranges-rolls-o.jpg\" alt=\"A man arranges rolls of olive pomace at the grounds of start-up Bioheat in the town of Sanhaja near Tunis\" title=\"A man arranges rolls of olive pomace at the grounds of start-up Bioheat in the town of Sanhaja near Tunis.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                A man arranges rolls of olive pomace at the grounds of start-up Bioheat in the town of Sanhaja near Tunis.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Protect_the_environment\"><\/span>&#8216;Protect the environment&#8217;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Given Tunisia&#8217;s significant olive oil production, waste byproducts pose both a challenge and an opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>Noureddine Nasr, an agricultural and rural development expert, said around 600,000 tonnes of olive waste is produced annually.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Harnessing this waste can protect the environment, create jobs, and generate wealth,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Nasr believes repurposing olive waste could also help alleviate Tunisia&#8217;s heavy dependence on imported fuel.<\/p>\n<p>The country imports more than 60% of its energy needs, a reliance that widens its trade deficit and strains government subsidies, according to a 2023 World Bank report.<\/p>\n<p>Fuel and gas shortages are common during winter, particularly in Tunisia&#8217;s northwestern provinces, where households struggle to keep warm.<\/p>\n<p>Redirecting agricultural waste into alternative energy sources could ease this burden.<\/p>\n<p>Yet for entrepreneurs like Khelifi, launching a startup in Tunisia is fraught with challenges.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The biggest hurdle was funding,&#8221; he said, lamenting high-interest bank loans. &#8220;It felt like walking on a road full of potholes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But now his goal is &#8220;to leave my mark as a key player in Tunisia&#8217;s transition to clean energy,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And hopefully, the world&#8217;s, too.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                \u00a9 2025 AFP\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                Tunisian startup turns olive waste into clean energy (2025, March 29)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 29 March 2025<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-03-tunisian-startup-olive-energy.html\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>\n                                            This document is subject to copyright. 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Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2025-03-tunisian-startup-olive-energy.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The start-up was founded in 2022 to tackle the waste from Tunisia&#8217;s lucrative olive harvest. In a northern Tunisian olive grove, Yassine Khelifi&#8217;s small workshop hums as a large machine turns olive waste into a valuable energy source in a country heavily reliant on imported fuel. Holding a handful of compacted olive residue\u2014a thick paste&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":659456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/the-start-up-was-found.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-659455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=659455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/659456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=659455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=659455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=659455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}