THE WEAKEST RING OF OLIVE OIL PRODUCTION IN TURKEY: OLIVE OIL MILL WASTE WATER

Abstract

Olives have to be processed as they cannot be consumed in raw state, although olive oil is accepted as a fruit. Utilization of various technologies in this processing stage is a must. Olive oil mill waste water, which is thought to be polluting the environment, comes out in all technologies used in the production of olive oil. While food authorities consider olive oil as a an award granted to human beings, acceptance of olive oil mill waste water of the olive as a waste and the level to which it pollutes the environment is controversial. Turkey, known as the motherland of olive oil, comes fourth among the world olive oil producers. This study aims at evaluating to which extend the olive oil mill waste water produced by olive oil processing technology pollutes the environment and recycle opportunities. As a result of the evaluations made, it was found that the olive oil mill waste water produced by the modern olive processing facilities does not pollute the environment. However, it has been observed that the olive oil mill waste water in the small scale olive processing facilities pollutes the environment from time to time. The reason why olive oil mill waste water is the weakest ring in the olive oil production in Turkey is that olive oil production is intensive in one year and not intensive in the next one and that most of the production is carried out by small-scale enterprises. Given the fact that the existing enterprises concentrate on production facilities, the best solution for this problem seems to be the establishment of vegetable oil collection centers by these enterprises who cannot make the required investments needed for the waste management by themselves, by getting organized among them in the long run. On the other hand, an analysis on the recycle opportunities reveals the proofs of various uses. For example, it can be used as a fertilizer in liquid or solid form at a time when ecological agriculture gains importance; it can also be used as a fuel in houses and industrial facilities as it includes oil though limited. In addition, it can be used in the animal fodder rations.