Thermochemical Treatment of Solid and Wastewater Effluents Originating from the Olive Oil Food Industry

Thermochemical treatment of waste effluents originating from the olive oil food industry was investigated at total pressure conditions slightly above atmospheric pressure (103−104 kPa) and temperatures of 700−855 °C. The experimental data were obtained in a laboratory-scale reactor. Wastewater that was concentrated by means of evaporation/drying (denoted as cww), with a biomass formula of CH 1.3 O 0.5, mixed with olive husks (kernels) was used here as a sample fuel (i.e., a mixture of olive husks (kernels) and cww (95%/5%, as determined from the low heating value, LHV)). Pretreatment of the specific solid waste effluent by washing (leaching) and fractionation was studied. The particle size ( d p ) class of the olive husks (kernels) varied between 0.35 mm < d p < 0.50 mm (with a biomass formula of CH 2.2 O 0.7 ) and 0.50 mm < d p < 1.0 mm (with a biomass formula of CH 2.2 O 0.6 ). For H 2 O-vapor thermal treatment of the evolved gas obtained during pyrolysis of the biofuel used here, the composition products were analyzed. Gas compositions (viz., CO, CO 2, O 2, CH 4, and C 2+ ), along with the amounts of benzene and toluene, tar/liquid phase, and char total yields are given. In thermal treatment experiments in air, the major gas was CO 2 . The effect of the moisture content and the particle size class of the biofuel samples on the variation of the devolatilization rate, relative to devolatilization time, was determined at a given furnace temperature regime.