The diagram demonstrates an industrial process by which olive oil is generated in different grades.
Overall, the process involves three connecting stages of producing olive oil with different qualities, namely olive pomace, virgin olive, and refined olive oil.
The process begins with olives being harvested from trees and sorted based on their quality. The best olive collection is stored in a collection vat before being passed through a washer for de-leafing and washing. Following this, olives are transferred to a differnt facility, where they are grinded by a crusher and subsequently mixed in a malaxer with the heat maintained at under 27 celsius degree. After that, the mixture is then treated by a centrifugal press. The by-product of this step, including pomace and pulp resedue, are delivered to another mill to produce olive pomace oil, while the main product is routed to a decanter.
In the subsequent step, a seperator is used to speparate liquid oil from solids, leaving behind waste water that can then be diverted elsewhere. The result of clean and fresh oil after this process is stored in a large tank. After that, a certain amount of processed oil is filtered, resulting in virgin olive oil and an extra part. The other part undergoes refinement to yeild refined olive oil.