Management of Table Olive Wastewater (TOWW) in Turkey

Table olive is very important agricultural product for Turkey. It has a great market share in the country and also have high export potential. Management of table olive wastewater (TOWW) is an emerging and important issue, since large volumes of TOWW are discharged with high concentrations of organic matter, phenolic compounds, suspended solids, alkalinity, and conductivity. Current practices in many countries are the storing the wastewater in evaporation ponds or discharging to municipal wastewater treatment plants, if the ratios are relatively acceptable. Application of evaporation ponds in Turkey is not suitable, because of high population densities in olive production areas and high prices of land. Plus, generally the locations of the production plants are far away from the sewerage systems. Those facts impose the planners and engineers to develop technological treatment based technological in-site solutions for the management of TOWW. In order to perform proper treatment methods, the quantity and quality of wastewater should be known first. However, it is not an easy job, because neither producer provides reliable information nor there is enough information in the literature. In the paper, a questionnaire survey carried out app.30 firms located in the Akhisar Olive and Olive Derivatives Specialized Organized Industrial Zone (AZIOSB) The questionnaire helped to project the data on wastewater generation as well as the processing techniques of table olives. Plus, the sampling studies for quantity and quality of the wastewater are conducted at the main outlet of the AZIOSB, and accordingly treatment alternatives for TOWW are discussed.