• Advances in environmental research
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.131-141
• /
• 2013

Agricultural practice and improper waste disposal in developing regions have resulted in environmental degradation in land and waters, for which low-cost, proven solutions are needed. We demonstrate in the laboratory the applications of composting and trickling filter techniques to treat olive mill wastes that can be implemented in the West Bank and other regions of the world. To a pomace waste sample from a California mill, we amended with saw dust (wood carbon source) and baking soda ($NaHCO_3$ alkalinity) at weight ratios of waste/wood/$NaHCO_3$ at 70:27:1 and composted it for periods of 11 and 48 days; the compost was used as an additive to potting soil for transplanting. The pomace sample was also blended into slurry and introduced to a water-circulating pond and trickling filter system (P/TF) to examine any inhibitive effect of the pomace on biological removal of the organic waste. The results showed the compost-amended potting soil supported plant growth without noticeable stress over 34 days and the P/TF system removed BOD and COD by >90% from the waste liquid within 2 days, with a first-order rate constant of 1.9 $d^{-1}$ in the pond. An onsite treatment design is proposed that promises implementation for agricultural waste disposal in developing regions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.594-601
• /
• 2010

Azotobacter chroococcum H23 (CECT 4435), Azotobacter vinelandii UWD, and Azotobacter vinelandii (ATCC 12837), members of the family Pseudomonadaceae, were used to evaluate their capacity to grow and accumulate polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) using two-phase olive mill wastewater (TPOMW, alpeorujo) diluted at different concentrations as the sole carbon source. The PHAs amounts (g/l) increased clearly when the TPOMW samples were previously digested under anaerobic conditions. The MNR analysis demonstrated that the bacterial strains formed only homopolymers containing $\beta$-hydroxybutyrate, either when grown in diluted TPOMW medium or diluted anaerobically digested TPOMW medium. COD values of the diluted anaerobically digested waste were measured before and after the aerobic PHA-storing phase, and a clear reduction (72%) was recorded after 72 h of incubation. The results obtained in this study suggest the perspectives for using these bacterial strains to produce PHAs from TPOMW, and in parallel, contribute efficiently to the bioremediation of this waste. This fact seems essential if bioplastics are to become competitive products.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.670-679
• /
• 2019

Lignin complexity molecule makes its biodegradation difficult during lignocellulosic wastes composting. So, the improvement of its biodegradation has usually been considered as an objective. This study aimed to determine the impact of Trametes trogii inoculation on organic matter and particularly on lignin and cellulose during green wastes co-composting with olive mill waste water sludge and coffee grounds. Three types of heaps (H1, H2 and H3) were investigated during 180 d. H3 and H2 were inoculated at the beginning of the process (t₀) and 120 d later (t₁₂₀), respectively while H1 was the control. Results showed the absence of pH stabilization in H3 during the first month. Also, in this period we observed a faster degradation of some easily available organic matter in H3 than in the other heaps. After 120 d, a better cellulose decomposition (25.28%) was noticed in H3 than in H1 and H2 (16%). Inoculation during the second fermentation phase induced supplementary lignin degradation in H2 with a percentage of 35% against 23 and 26% for H1 and H3, respectively. For all the runs, a Fourier Transform Infrared analysis showed aliphatic groups' decrease, OH groups' increase and lignin structural modification.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.491-505
• /
• 2020

A newly isolated strain, Proteus vulgaris OR34, from olive mill waste was found to secrete an alkaline extracellular lipase at 11 U·ml-1 when cultivated on an optimized liquid medium. This lipase was purified 94.64-fold with a total yield of 9.11% and its maximal specific activity was shown to be 3232.58 and 1777.92 U·mg-1 when evaluated using the pH-stat technique at 55℃ and pH 9 and Tributyrin TC4 or olive oil as the substrate. The molecular mass of the pure OR34 lipase was estimated to be around 31 kDa, as revealed by SDS-PAGE and its substrate specificity was investigated using a variety of triglycerides. This assay revealed that OR34 lipase preferred short and medium chain fatty acids. In addition, this lipase was stable in the presence of high concentrations of bile salt (NaDC) and calcium ions appear not to be necessary for its activity. This lipase was inhibited by THL (Orlistat) which confirmed its identity as a serine enzyme. In addition, the immobilization of OR34 lipase by adsorption onto calcium carbonate increased its stability at higher temperatures and within a larger pH range. The immobilized lipase exhibited a high tolerance to organic solvents and retained 60% of its activity after 10 months of storage at 4℃. Finally, the OR34 lipase was applied in biodiesel synthesis via oleic acid mediated esterification of methanol when using hexane as solvent. The best conversion yield (67%) was obtained at 12 h and 40℃ using the immobilized enzyme and this enzyme could be reused for six cycles with the same efficiency.