Abstract
Mould strains were immobilized on sawdust from woods as a solid material for the treatment of Olive Mill Waste (OMW) waters. Assays were carried out in flasks. The treatment process was monitored by physico-chemical determinations including pH, polyphenols and COD, which were followed up during the incubation time. In parallel the chemical inhibitory activity of OMW was confirmed biologically by the determination of some microorganisms in the medium including the plate count, yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. Results indicated that the polyphenol degradation level was 87 %. The COD was also reduced by 60 %. The pH of the effluent increased from 4.5 to 6.6. The microbial profiles showed their best growth during the treatment period indicating a removal of the inhibitory activities from the OMW waters. The growth patterns of all microorganism groups were similar and could reach high levels in the effluent.
Highlights
Polyphenols in the olive mill waste waters were investigated by several authors (Borja-Padilla et al, 1991; Maestro-Duran et al, 1991; Mouncif et al, 1995; Hamdi et al, 1992; Borja-Padilla et al, 1992a,b)
The use of a solid material for immobilizing the culture in the treatment system was studied in order to improve the biological processes for the treatment of olive mill waste waters
The yield is still high compared to the previous works and the same efficiency was found with sawdust which is a suitable solid material for handling and using in high scale treatment systems
Summary
Polyphenols in the olive mill waste waters were investigated by several authors (Borja-Padilla et al, 1991; Maestro-Duran et al, 1991; Mouncif et al, 1995; Hamdi et al, 1992; Borja-Padilla et al, 1992a,b). In a previous work (Amhajji et al, 2000), the yield of polyphenols reduction was improved by using agar as a solid material for the cell immobilization. This could not be done on a high scale and may not be easy to handle. It would be assumed that moulds and yeasts are the most active microorganisms in polyphenol hydrolysis and all the investigations concerning any biological system for the OMW water treatment may use these microorganisms
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