Environmental impact from olive mills waste disposal, chemical analysis of solid wastes and wastewaters.

Producing of the olive oil is accompanied by relevant amounts of wastes: olive husk (OH) and olive mill wastewaters (OMW). Their disposal is a critical problem in the Mediterranean countries by reaching in one season approximately 10 12 million m3. It has been shown that the disposal of OMW into surface waters brings to reduction of their biodiversity and their contamination due to high organic load and toxic substances such as polyphenols. This situation is evident in the regions where the olive oil industry operates. The national plan on olive planting, by tripling the area of olive plantations, hence the amounts of olive mill wastes is expected to be multiplied. During the harvesting season 2012 2013, the OMW amounts produced in Albania are considered to have reached in 50 52 thousand m3, while the OH have reached approximately to 30 thousand tons. The study was conducted in a three phase extraction olive mill, in one of the most intensive regions of olive cultivation, Mallakastra. It included in-situ analyzing of physico-chemical parameters of OMW and analysis of the trace metals in solid wastes was performed in the Laboratory by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). The results show high content of potassium (K) 18.6 g/ kg dried weight, and calcium (Ca) 3.70 g/kg and magnesium 1.9 g/kg, while presence of sodium (Na) was in minimal 600 mg/kg, the iron (Fe) reached values 512 mg/kg. The pH values of the OMW varied from 5.10 5.77, the Electrical Conductivity EC values varied 6.46 8.82 mS/ cm, while the dissolved oxygen (O2) 1.40 2.30 mg/L. Their disposal in none proper sites will have negative impact on the quality of the soil where they are disposed. It is imperative the implementation of legislation to the olive oil extraction industry by-products.