Olive oil history,production and by-product management

In this review paper, the history of the olive tree and the development of the main olive oil extraction systems employed in the past are presented. Furthermore, the management techniques employed from antiquity until today for the treatment of olive mill wastewater (OMW), which constitutes the most important by-product of olive oil production, are addressed and compared. Reference is also made to global olive oil production, the environmental impacts of the uncontrolled disposal of OMW, and to the legal framework concerning its management in the main olive oil producing countries. Other by-products of olive processing are also discussed.