For the company DMC, the project will enable the identification of new microbial communities that enhance plant development. This will lead to the creation of new biostimulants that improve plant growth and help them resist various types of abiotic stress. Additionally, the project will contribute to developing new methods that enhance the survival and interaction of microorganisms with plants. Currently, there are plant-stimulating products based on microorganisms, but there is a need to improve their application by developing methods that enhance their interaction with the soil and roots. These communities on an improved substrate will also interact with the new organic amendment developed from alperujo, thus creating a new medium with improved properties that promote the growth of different plant species. This innovative approach will not only boost plant development but also provide a more effective and sustainable solution for agricultural practices, leveraging enhanced microbial interactions to optimize plant health and productivity

For El Ejidillo, the project will involve developing new substrates that enhance the interaction between soil, plants, and microorganisms. It will evaluate the impact of biostimulants and treated olive mil solid waste on various agriculturally, forestally, and ornamentally significant species. This will significantly increase our knowledge of how the new organic amendment interacts with beneficial soil bacteria. These techniques are crucial for enhancing the resilience of soil fertility under current climate change conditions. They are applicable across a wide range of Green Infrastructure types, offering sustainable solutions for maintaining healthy and productive soils. The project aims to provide practical and scalable methods that can be widely adopted, ensuring that both agricultural and non-agricultural landscapes benefit from improved soil health. By focusing on the synergistic effects of organic amendments and microbial communities, El Ejidillo seeks to develop innovative approaches that support long-term environmental sustainability and resilience.

For San Pablo CEU University, the project involves developing microbial consortia to improve the properties of olive mill solid waste (alperujo) as a substrate. The goal is to create microbial communities that can reduce the polyphenols present in the alperujo and, as much as possible, enhance its properties as an organic amendment. Developing these consortia is extremely beneficial for the olive oil industry and will enable the university to generate a nature-based solution for the sector. This technology offers significant advantages as a means of product decontamination, providing solutions with low energy costs and reduced facility requirements since the action is based on the growth of organisms in the medium itself. This innovative approach not only addresses a critical issue in the olive oil industry but also promotes sustainability by leveraging natural processes to create a more efficient and environmentally friendly solution. By focusing on microbial consortia, the university aims to offer a practical and scalable technology that supports the industry's efforts to manage olive mill waste effectively.

The main result obtained by DCCOP in this project will be the development of a new physical system that allows to use of mill solid waste (alperujo) as an organic amendment; but also to valorize the polyphenol content from the alperujo. This system aims to enable the generation of new circular economy processes and have an alternative use for the alperujo. To achieve this goal, combined physical and microbiological procedures will be developed to create a product that can be directly applied to the soil, in compliance with the current legislation. This solution is particularly necessary due to the productive fluctuations of alperujo, which are inherent to the nature of olive cultivation, and further amplified by the climatic change. Implementing this process, alperujo can be applied directly as an amendment to various types of crops, and other elements such as parks or reforestations. This application will improve the organic matter content of the soils, enhance their fertility, and contribute to sustainable agricultural practices. It will help mitigate the environmental impact of olive mill waste, providing a more sustainable solution for its management.

The olive oil sector is absolutely strategic in Andalusia, which is why this project is of great importance to the Federation of Cooperatives of Andalusia (FECOAGRA). The development of the methodologies proposed in the project, such as the reduction of polyphenols in alperujo through a combination of physical, chemical, and microbiological processes, and its combination with beneficial plant bacteria in mediums that enhance their presence, implies a global solution of interest for the sector and for FECOAGRA. Their interest lies in promoting and facilitating applicable technologies for the sector and in encouraging these technologies among their members. The dissemination and implementation of solutions like those proposed in SIMBIOLIVA are key for developing future technologies in the sector, with needs for adaptation to climate change, improving soil fertility, and generating processes that establish a circular economy. This project not only addresses current challenges but also paves the way for sustainable practices that will benefit the entire olive oil industry in Andalusia.

SIMBIOLIVA plantea una estrategia basada en procesos físico-químicos y biológicos que por un lado nos permitan reducir la presencia de polifenoles solubilizándolos, y por el otro consigan reducir los tiempos de tratamiento, logrando una solución basada en la naturaleza que incida directa y positivamente en el sector del olivar y que pueda extrapolarse a otros cultivos del sector agrícola

SIMBIOLIVA obtendrá cuatro resultados clave como son:

Proceso de extracción de polifenoles - Que permita una reducción de su presencia en el alperujo y facilite su posible valorización futura

Tratamiento biológico - Para la reducción de los polifenoles presentes en el alperujo tras el proceso de extracción

Biofertilizante - Desarrollo de biofertilizantes (consorcio bacteriano) mejorado con aditivos poliméricos

Desarrollo de un nuevo simbiótico edafológico (enmienda orgánica + biofertilizantes) y su proceso de obtención que permitan un uso sostenible del alperujo dentro de una economía circular