The Olive Mill Waste Water Decontamination with Photocatalysis Based on Tio₂: Effect of Operational Parameters

Fatma Chkili^1,4, Marine De Person², Christophe Colbeau-Justin³ and Manef Abderrabba⁴

¹University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Campus University, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia.

²LETIAM, Paris South Analytical Chemistry Group EA 4041, IUT d'Orsay, Paris South University 11, Plateau de Moulon, 91400 Orsay, France.

³University of Paris-Sud / University Paris-Saclay, Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, CNRS UMR 8000, 91405 Orsay, France.

⁴Preparatory Institute for Scientific and Technical Studies (IPEST), Materials, Molecules and Applications Laboratory (LMMA), BP 51 La Marsa 2070, Carthage, Tunisia.

Correspondence Author E-mail: touma.at@gmail.com

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bbra/2527

ABSTRACT: This work aims to obtain treated olive mill wastewater (OMW) that can be used in other processes such as irrigation in agricultural production. The oxidative degradation and adsorption kinetics of the OMW were investigated by means of photo-catalysis in the presence of TiO₂. The UV irradiation was chosen for this reaction rather than visible light since it eliminated 97% of the color versus 40 % with visible. It was also capable of reducing total organic carbon (TOC) and total phenolic compounds (TPhC) sufficiently after 4h of treatment. The extent of photocatalytic degradation increased with increasing TiO₂ concentration up to 1 g/L, above which degradation rate declined. Furthermore, the OMW treatment didn’t require a pH value adjustment; whereas it was enhanced with the addition of hydrogen peroxide. The catalyst activity on repeated use was evaluated and after four successive cycles, its efficiency was maintained. Various commercial photocatalysts were tested and compared for OMW degradation efficiency.

KEYWORDS: olive mill wastewater; photocatalysis; polyphenols; Titanium dioxide

[ HTML Full Text]