UC scientists test technology for a greener oil extraction industry
The project aimed to develop an efficient technology based on the integration of advanced oxidation processes for the treatment of olive oil extraction industry wastewater, able to meet current and future environmental requirements, leading to the reuse of the treated water in the industry itself.
English version: Diana Taborda
A research team of the Department of Chemical Engineering (DEQ) of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra has tested an advanced oxidation process that can make oil extraction industry more eco-friendly, in the scope of the study “Sludge-free Fenton integrated methodology for agro-industrial wastewaters treatment”.
"Our goal was to treat the highly pollutant effluent in the refined oil extraction industry produced by olive oil mills. To do so, we studied various methodologies, including advanced oxidation processes, and we found that the Fenton process is indeed a very viable process," explains Eva Domingues, DEQ researcher and lead author of the study.
Rui Martins, DEQ researcher and professor, specifies that “the Fenton process is characterized by the reaction between hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer and iron ions as catalyst. This methodology has a strong industrial advantage, since it operates under ambient pressure and temperature conditions, and is highly efficient in the removal of organic matter, generally associated with a significant increase in the biodegradability of the effluent".
Thus, this process can be seen as a possible pre-treatment of the effluent, allowing the subsequent application of a traditional activated sludge system. However, this methodology has a disadvantage: the amount of iron required to guarantee its efficiency is generally above the allowable limit established for effluent discharge into water courses or municipal treatment plants. With this in mind, the FCTUC team also studied other technologies in order to avoid the formation of iron sludge or to remove this metal from the current after the treatment, for a subsequent biological process.
The aim of this project was to develop an efficient technology based on the integration of advanced oxidation processes for the treatment of olive oil extraction industry wastewater, able to meet current and future environmental requirements, leading to the reuse of the treated water in the industry itself.
The scientific paper is available here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009250922006601?via%3Dihub.