Food industry environmental pollutant sources and removal methods; olive and olive oil sample

In parallel with the rapid population growth, environmental pollution is increasing as a result of unconscious use of natural resources, industrialization and unplanned construction, and it threatens the life of all living things on both a regional and global scale. The fact that the emergence of pollution originating from agriculture takes a long time and it is more tolerable than pollution originating from industry creates a perception that its effect on environmental pollution is relatively less. However, the situation is actually different and agricultural pollution is also very effective in the pollution of the environment. Turkey is one of the few countries in the world in olive production. Most of the olives produced are used in olive oil production. However, black water is in the category of wastewater that is difficult to treat due to the impurities it contains after olive oil production. The high amount of BOD, COD, AKM, oil-grease and phenolic substances in the olive black water make it very difficult to treat this wastewater. In order to purify this water, which contains a large amount of pollution in terms of pollution load, different treatment techniques are applied and development activities are currently underway. Although the wastewater produced differs in terms of amount and pollution content, according to its production and operation, it is generally known as wastewater that is difficult to treat. Within the scope of this study, the performance and treatment efficiency of the treatment plant were examined by using the data obtained from the wastewater treatment plant of Turkey's largest olive processing plant located in Bursa Province, and the current situation was tried to be evaluated by comparing the obtained data with the data related to similar plants in the literature. The treatment methods in the literature and the evaluations of the removal efficiencies obtained by these methods are also examined within the scope of the study. In the facility examined within the scope of the study, it was determined that the inlet pH values ranged from 5.5 to 7.2, with an average of 6.36. Similarly, it was observed that the conductivity values ranged from 4.32 μS/cm to 9.18 μS/cm, with an average of 7.5 μS/cm. In the examined facility, the inlet COD value ranges between 1300 mg/L and 4100 mg/L on average, with an average of 2500 mg/L. The output COD value is between 120 mg/L and 200 mg/L, with an average of 160 mg/L. It has been determined that the removal efficiency calculated for the inlet and outlet COD values varies between 91% and 96%. Keywords: Food industry, olive, olive oil, olive black water, purification, pH, COD