Abstract
The liquid fraction from the two-phase extraction process in the olive industry (alperujo), is a waste that contains lignocellulosic organic matter and phenolic compounds, difficult to treat by conventional biological methods. Lignocellulosic enzymes from white-rot fungi can be an interesting solution to break down these recalcitrant compounds and advance the treatment of that waste. In the present work the ability of Phanerochaete chrysosporium to degrade the abovementioned liquid waste (AL) was studied. Experiments were carried out at 26 °C within the optimal pH range 4–6 for 10 days and with and without the addition of glucose, measuring the evolution of COD, BOD5, biodegradability index, reducing sugars, total phenolic compounds, and colour. The results obtained in this study revealed the interest of Phanerochaete chrysosporium for an economical and eco-friendly treatment of alperujo, achieving COD and colour removals around 60%, and 32% of total phenolic compounds degradation, regardless of glucose addition.
Highlights
The Mediterranean region is the main producer of olive oil, concentrating more than95% of the world’s olive trees
With respect to test C1, no change was observed during the first two days and a 27% elimination of sCOD was achieved after four days of incubation
The final percentage of sCOD removal was similar to that achieved with C1
Summary
The Mediterranean region is the main producer of olive oil, concentrating more than95% of the world’s olive trees. The main industrial process to obtain olive oil is continuous extraction by two-phase or three-phase systems. Depending on the oil extraction system used, considerable amounts of solid and liquid waste as final products are generated. The three-phase extraction process mainly generates alpechin and pomace as final residues, the main waste stream from two-phase extraction system is the alperujo (AL) [3]. The alpechin corresponds with the liquid effluent, composed of water and minerals and characterized by a high organic matter load. This waste stream is considered, together with the AL, a highly polluting residue, for which reuse is not an easy task so its revalorization is still being investigated [4,5]. Due to the global increase of olive oil demand, the excessive amount of waste streams generated throughout the olive oil industry is a growing problem that poses an environmental challenge [6]
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