Olive Mills Waste: Pollution Threats for Watershed in Jordan

Abstract

Jordan watersheds heavily suffer from the seasonal discharge of highly concentrated olive mill wastewater (OMW). Environmental concern and protection of the scarcely available water resources calls for adequate treatment of OMW prior to discharge. This paper describes an inventory that was made with the aim of developing pollution prevention strategies for the olive mill sector of the Jerash Governorate in Jordan. In the present work, an inventory was made of the Jerash Governorate olive mills with emphasis on the production methods and presenting the concomitant pollution loads coming from selected mills. Methods which can reduce water consumption based on cleaner production principles are presented.