Treatment of olive mill waste water with activated carbons from agricultural by-products

• Published in: Waste management (Elmsford) 2002-01, Vol.22 (7), p.803-812
• Main Authors: Galiatsatou, Polymnia, Metaxas, Michail, Arapoglou, Dimitrios, Kasselouri-Rigopoulou, Vasilia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Activation analysis; Adsorbents; Adsorption; Agricultural chemicals; Agricultural management; Agriculture; Agriculture, rearing and food industries wastes; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Byproducts; Carbon; Carbon - chemistry; Chemical milling; Chemistry; Control equipment; Disinfectants - isolation & purification; Exact sciences and technology; Food industries; Food processing industry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General and physical chemistry; General aspects; Industrial wastes; Industrial wastewaters; Kinetics; Mathematical models; Mercury; Olea; Oxygen - chemistry; Oxygen demand; Phenol; Phenol - isolation & purification; Pollution; Pollution and sludges; Refuse Disposal - methods; Solvents; Stone; Surface chemistry; Surface physical chemistry; Temperature; Waste management; Wastes; Wastewaters; Water treatment and pollution
• ISSN: 0956-053X; 1879-2456
• DOI: 10.1016/S0956-053X(02)00055-7

A series of activated carbons prepared by a two-step steam activation of olive stone and solvent extracted olive pulp (SEOP) have been used in an attempt to investigate the total phenol removal and chemical oxygen demand (COD) decrease in olive mill waste water (OMWW). The temperature of carbonization and activation were kept constant at 850 and 800 °C, respectively. One of the carbons was prepared by a single-step process at 800 °C. Activated carbons have been characterized by adsorption of N 2 at 77 K and mercury porosimetry. Their iodine values were also determined. Surface oxides of activated carbons were determined using the Boehm's method. The porosity development and the surface chemistry of carbons were correlated to increasing removal ability of organic molecules. Kinetics of adsorption was evaluated by applying the Lagegren model while adsorption isotherm data were fitted to Langmuir model. Mesoporosity seems to be the key factor for total phenol removal while micoporosity controls the adsorption of total organics as expressed by the COD decrease in OMWW. For carbons with similar structure, the adsorption of phenols or total organics might be affected by the presence of carbonyls.