Aerobic treatment of black olive wastewater and the effect of an ozonation stage

The reduction of the pollutant organic matter present in wastewaters generated in the black olive production process is studied by an aerobic degradation, and by the combination of two successive steps: an ozonation pretreatment followed by an aerobic degradation. In the single aerobic process, in addition to the biomass evolution which is followed during each experiment, the removal of the pollutant load is evaluated by means of global parameters which are directly related with the organic matter, as the chemical oxygen demand and the total phenolic compounds content. A kinetic study is performed by using the Monod model, which applied to the experimental data, provides the specific kinetic parameters of this model: the kinetic constant for the substrate decomposition rate, the cellular yield coefficient and the kinetic constant for the biomass decrease during the death phase of microorganisms. In the combined process, an ozonation pretreatment is conducted with experiments where the ozone partial pressure is varied, and an important reduction in the phenolic compounds is achieved. The kinetic parameters of the following aerobic degradation stage are also evaluated, and the effect of the chemical oxidation pretreatment on this biological stage is discussed.