Tunisian startup turns olive waste into clean energy

Holding a handful of compacted olive residue -- a thick paste left over from oil extraction -- Khelifi said: "This is what we need today. How can we turn something worthless into wealth?" For generations, rural households in Tunisia have burned olive waste for cooking and heating, or used it as animal feed. The International Olive Council estimated Tunisia will be the world's third-largest olive oil producer in 2024-2025, with an expected yield of 340,000 tonnes. The waste generated by the oil extraction is staggering.