Assessment by the use of LCA methodology of the process of CO2 neutralization for spanish-style green table olives.

The production chain of table olives gives rise to various problems, which are not only technical and financial but also environmental. One very serious concern involves the disposal of the wastewater (exhausted lyes and brines), due to its high content of minerals and organic matter. This waste is currently treated in specially-designed purification plants, at great expense to the producers. There is, thus, the need either to improve the technology or to devise alternative processing methods with a lower environmental impact. Various solutions to this problem have been proposed, including the use of carbon dioxide as a neutralizing agent instead of rinsing the olives in water, a practice which generates large quantities of liquid waste. This proposal is analyzed in this study, which used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate its environmental efficiency. The results show that, while this alternative method of neutralization significantly reduces eutrophication potential, the results for the other impact categories are questionable.