I have just noticed this site whilst having a search and will spend a long while looking through it so as a new member HI everyone from ColD in Crete Greece.

I have a question I need answering and have had a quick browse through the site and cannot find the answer which is .

Is the liquid residue from the production of olive oil toxic ? I remember reading a document some while ago that mentiooned it being so , but cannot trace it.

I have just passed along our local beach where I noticed a strong oil smell , in the concrete storm drain there is a black liquid that is flowing into the sea leaving a slick across the bay , this I have traced to an olive press a mile away.

1 What harm will it do to marine and bird life
2 What if any harm would it do to humans swimming in it
Regards
ColD

Hi and welcome

How did you trace it to the olive mill? Could it be a mixture of many liquids being dumped to the sea from different sources?

Did you do a LAB analysis of the fluid to verify its content and source?

I don't know the answer to your question and I hope to hear from other members their views.

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Thanks for the reply sadoun.

There is only one factory, the area is houses and plastic polytunnel producing tomatoe and cucumber, the storm drain leads to it. I use the mill for my own olives !

No have not done any tests , there is no need it really, smells of olive residue the same as in some pits here, nothing else could produce this.

But would like to know if it is harmful before I take it further.
Cheers
ColD

Hi,

The liquid residue from olive oil extraction is not exactly toxic, its just that the high concentration of poliphenols, trough its anti-oxidant action, has a disrupting effect on the aquatic ecosystems. Also the oil, which is not soluble in water, takes a long time to be degraded an can physically harmful by adhering to the surface of living organisms.

As for the people swimming, I believe there isn't any immediate danger.

Such discharges are illegal in the EU, so you should inform you local environment authority.

Cheers,

João Correia

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João Correia
Cascais - Portugal
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In this case, I am surprised they are openly dumping their waste water like that. I don't think it is harmful (like a chemical plant waste for example) since the liquid is basically organic material.

However, the smell and immediate contamination of the nearby sea water is not a pleasant view.

I would love to hear from others about any studies done on this subject and whether there are any long term harmful effects of olive waste on the environment?

How do the mills in your country manage this issue and efforts are being taken to reduce or improve the quality of the liquid waste?

Anybody using pre-discharge filtration process?

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Hi,

You're right its only organic matter. The problem is the quantity, it will overload the bacterial micro-flora the the water mass, causing a decrease of O2 and increasing the water acidity level. Causing frequently a serious disruption of the aquatic ecosystems, resulting on the dead of the fishes.

Currently, the release of untreated olive mill wastewater in to water masses in the EU is forbidden. Several alternatives have come up:

* Evaporation of this material until it is reduced to a kind of "paste" that can be composted;
* Chemical or/and Biological treatment;
* Application in the agriculture fields (the amount of liter per hectare is also regulated by law).

Most small producers nowadays are using 2 phases olive mill, avoiding therefore the production of wastewater, the wet molaces can be composted with other organic material.

Cheers,

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João Correia
Cascais - Portugal
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msn: jorgegranja@yahoo.co.uk

skype: JoaoJCorreia

Olive mill waste water has both a high Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and a high Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). These factors, along with the presence of phytochemical ingredients of the waste will, as ststed earlier, cause a reduction in the microflora of the surroundings.

My small press produces a small amount of such waste, and it kills the grass where it is discharged.

There is plentry of info about the composition and treatment of mill waste waters, Google is your friend in these things. use "OMWW", "Olive waste water", "olive waste treatment" as seeds for the search.

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Thanks John

I am finding some good information.

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Thanks for all those replies and the information through links, I am currently looking at ways to combat and overcome this situation and will hopefully have some information later

cheers
ColD