Treatment of olive mill effluent by adsorption on titanium oxide nanoparticles

Olive mills wastewater (OMW) causes a serious environmental problem in the olive oil producing countries. This is due to its high organic matter content (COD), acidic pH values, suspended solids and high content of phytotoxic and antibacterial phenolic compounds. In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2) as an adsorbent to reduce the COD value of the olive mill wastewater was investigated. Several variables were studied including the removal efficiency, effect of the initial COD value, amount of TiO2, temperature and pH value. The results revealed that the adsorption reached equilibrium within