Removal of total organic carbon from olive mill wastewater using palygorskite clay mineral

The production of olive oil is one of the main agricultural activities with a large amount of wastewater. So, the proper treatment of the olive mill wastewater (OMW) is superior for environmental-friendly industries and one of the most efficient and low-cost methods is the sorption of organic compounds. In the present work, palygorskite, a fibrous clay mineral, is proposed for this application as it exhibits high sorption capacity for the organic load (total organic carbon) in olive mill wastewater. The optimum sorption was observed for slightly acidic conditions (pH 4) and reached the sufficient value of 65%. The most efficient mass to volume ratio was 20 g/L and the sorption was completed in 30 min, while it was temperature independent. From this study palygorskite can be considered and further examined as a promising and cost-effective material for the pre-treatment of OMW concerning the removal of the organic compounds.