EVAPORATION OF OLIVE OIL MILL VEGETATION WATERS

The evaporation of olive oil mill vegetation waters permits to pull down the polluting load to an extent superior to the 90% in terms of COD. This operation can be easily done by using the industrial evaporators now existing, and it can be optimized up to a level whose value depends on the nature and age of the vegetation water in question. The concentrated solution which comes out from the evaporator can be thermally decomposed by a two stage pyrolytic process which allows to previously divide the inorganic salts, avoiding, in this way, to encrust the boiler during the combustion of the polluting organic substances. Since the thermal decomposition process of the concentrated solution is strongly exothermic, the exceeding heat can be used to ulteriorly lower the COD of the treated water to values compatible with the environmental regulations.