Zeolite and olive mill wastewater – N. Lygeros
In olive oil production in Crete, at the olive mill level, we also produce olive mill wastewater (“katsigaros”). The problem is that olive mill wastewater significantly affects soil properties, such as pH and electrical conductivity. Thus, rocks containing illite exhibit significant adsorption capacity in response to the phenols present in the olive mill waste. More generally, then, we have a problem of pollution from olive mill waste, because most olive oil producers do everything they can to dispose of their olive mill wastewater (“katsigaros”), causing environmental problems that are not only chemical in nature but also involve odour. The worst thing about this usually illegal practice is that there is a solution – and an effective one at that. Simply mixing the slurry with zeolite allows the odour, which is so unpleasant, to be neutralised immediately. This creates a zeolite slurry, which is odourless and cohesive. Furthermore, this mixture of zeolite and olive mill wastewater can be used as fertiliser – and of very good quality at that – since the zeolite has removed the heavy metals, toxins and free radicals, which have now been neutralised. In this way, the beneficial chemical substances can be utilised in crops without causing any further problems.
Read the rest here