Agricultural Automation in the Circular Economy: Designing a Thin-Layer Infrared Drying System for Olive Pomace

Circular economy is today a key driver of every transformation process aimed at reducing and optimizing the use of energy and materials. The production of solid biofuel from waste is a typical route to lower the potential impact of greenhouse-gas emissions. In this context, olive pomace is a relevant feedstock, as 4 million tonnes are generated worldwide each year alongside olive oil production. However, only a small fraction of olive pomace is currently valorized. Fresh olive pomace must first be quickly dried to a low, controlled moisture. This step is performed poorly and at a high energy cost. This paper presents an automation-based approach to enhance biomass production from olive pomace, thereby advancing circular-economy practices in olive oil production. The work is focused on four aspects. In the first part, a review of the state of automation in agricultural engineering with a focus on biomass and olive pomace is proposed. Then, the design and construction of an innovative drying system that integrates an infrared solution directly into the transporting screw conveyor is described, integrating real-time online microwave moisture sensing and PLC control. After that, a cloud-based service is presented for remote monitoring, data analysis, and optimization. The innovative and automated drying system was validated during a preliminary field campaign at an olive mill. After about sixteen hours of continuous, cloud-monitored operation, the resulting olive pomace moisture fell below the 5% threshold across a wide range of inlet-moisture conditions, with a stable electrical power demand of approximately 1.85 kW. Finally, an environmental analysis is provided to evaluate the environmental aspects related to the proposed system. The preliminary analysis confirms a significant avoided-carbon potential if the resulting olive pomace is reused as biomass for energy production. The impact associated with 1 kWh-eq produced from olive pomace is in the range of 0.006–0.033 kg CO2-eq.