LIFE00 ENV/GR/000671 Olive oil mill waste management - producing organic fertiliser

Contacts
Website: www.pharm.uoa.gr/minos
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Biological Conversion : Composts/Fertilisers : LIFE Projects : Separation/Fractionation

Type of Project	Demonstration
Contract No	LIFE00 ENV/GR/000671
Total Cost	1,239 KEuro
EC Contribution	609 KEuro
Start Date	1-9-2001
Duration	30 Months

Abstract

This project developed a viable high-tech process for the recovery of natural anti-oxidants from the heavily-polluted wastewater produced in the pressing of olives to make olive oil. In Greece, there are an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 olive presses used in the production of olive oil. Heavily polluted wastewater produced by the olive mills constitutes a major environmental problem for the agriculture sector. The majority of these olive mills are small businesses, which cannot afford the high capital cost required for proper wastewater treatment.As a result, they often resort to dumping their wastewater, untreated, into streams or rivers, or straight into the sea.

A major problem is the high organic content of this wastewater, which is not easily biodegradable. In addition, it contains high concentrations of polyphenols. Research has shown that some of these substances are responsible for the unique nutritional value of olive oil, mainly due to their anti-oxidant and anti-microbial properties.

This project developed a viable high-technology process for the recovery of natural anti-oxidants from olive oil mill wastewater. The recovery process consisted of the following:

• successive wastewater filtration
• capture of polyphenols by absorbent resin
• treatment of resin out flow
• recovery of polyphenols captured in resin
• chromatographic separation of polyphenols
• composting of sludge from filtration together with olive leaves and solid waste from the mills.

This integrated approach to waste management showed that the liquid waste pollutant from the olive oil pressing process could be successfully filtered and extracted to retrieve valuable substances with a high commercial value for the cosmetics, food additives and pharmaceutical industries.

In addition to the recovery of anti-oxidants, the project combined solid waste from the olive oil processing with the remaining organic fraction of the wastewater to produce an organic fertiliser. The project also reduced overall water consumption by re-using the treated wastewater, and achieved energy savings by using the solid waste from the process as solid fuels. The project therefore demonstrated a feasible solution for olive oil mill businesses concerning the management of their waste and minimisation of the environmental impacts caused by current waste disposal practices.

Beneficiary National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

Contacts

Contact

• Leandros SKALTSOUNIS / National and Kapodistrian University of Athens GREECE