Recycling and Physicochemical Study of Olive Mill Waste Water from the SIDI BEL ABBES Region: Western Algeria

Olive mill waste water (liquid effluents) are by-products of the olive industry resulting during the extraction of olive oil and whose rejection without any prior treatment represents a real nuisance for the environment. Because of their highly polluting effect due to their richness in organic matter and polyphenols, this waste constitutes a major problem for the agricultural sector. It is therefore necessary to think about their treatment and their valorization. This necessarily requires a better understanding of their physicochemical composition. Therefore, the main objective of our study is to provide a physicochemical characterization of these effluents in order to recycle the olive mill waste water by targeting different measurements including pH, acidity, suspended matter, organic matter, polyphenols, electrical conductivity, etc. Our results showed that the olive mill waste waters analyzed: i/ have an acidic pH, ii/ are loaded with ionizing species iii/ are also rich in organic matter, iv/ have a very high-water content (96%). These waste waters are also characterized by a significant presence of suspended matter (18.5g/l) and phenolic compounds (0.45g/l). Taken as a whole, our physicochemical study reinforces the idea that the prior treatment of olive mill waste waters is necessary to reduce their environmental impacts.