Research grant holder: Prassone Annalisa
Contract duration: Start date 02/11/2012
Company name: IREN Acqua Gas Spa
Olive oil production has increased over the last ten years. Although valuable for the Italian economy, it has led to an increasing problem in the disposal of vegetation waters (the waste water produced from the mechanical processing and oil extraction from the olives) which are highly polluting for their peculiar composition.
Vegetation waters are made up mainly of:
- 85% and 92% water, in the case that derive respectively from the traditional three-phase and continuous method;
- organic materials in suspension;
- organic compounds in solution.
The organic compounds, in particular the polyphenols, cause pollution. Over the last twenty years many studies have been carried out, which have demonstrated the effectiveness of two different types of wastewater treatment, such as purification treatments or agronomic use. The costs that are too high and the lack of availability of suitable land for the disposal of vegetation waters have led to the search for an alternative route and to decide to focus on purification, in order to drain into the sewage system. The objective of this project is therefore, to the study of the state of the art of traditional vegetation water treatment processes and emerging technologies, to use a combined process of initial waste microfiltration and a subsequent treatment of permeate with processes of high efficiency biological oxidation in an intensive way with MBR by using microorganisms. Tests are being carried out using microalgae microorganisms: the optimal inoculation of biomass for these high efficiency aerobic treatments is being identified and we are trying to optimize the growth of this algal biomass in the conditions of adaptation in vegetation waters.