In this article, treatment and disposal alternatives of olive oil mill wastes and technical requirements for their management are covered. Waste characteristics, treatment options with regard to the economic feasibility, and challenges of existing waste disposal practices in olive growing countries are mentioned. Attention is drawn to present-day techniques of waste management. The search concerning the environmentally acceptable, economically feasible, and practically applicable methods of disposal of olive oil mill wastes is referred. In the management schemes, compliance with environmental regulations and economic and social benefits of the olive oil production are the goals that must be simultaneously achieved.

BACKGROUND: Disintegration was developed as a pretreatment process for sludge to accelerate the digestion processes. Ultrasonic treatment may be a good alternative for sludge disintegration. In this study, different specific energy inputs ranged between 0 and 15 880 kJ kg −1 and very low ultrasonic densities ranged between 0.04 and 0.1 W mL −1 were applied to biological sludge for disintegration purposes. The potential for improving anaerobic digestion through ultrasonic pre-treatment and the effect of ultrasonic pre-treatment on the filterability characteristics of sludge were also investigated.

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Research Article Effects of Fenton Pre-Treatment on Waste Activated Sludge PropertiesFenton process was investigated for the purpose of biological sludge disintegration. The Box-Wilson experimental design was employed to evaluate the effects of major process variables (Fe(II) and H 2 O 2 concentrations) on both disintegration and dewatering performance of sludge. Results showed that 4 g Fe(II)/kg total solids (TSs) and 60 g H 2 O 2 /kg TS are efficient for floc disintegration. Fenton pre-treatment enhanced the biodegradability of sludge. For 4 g Fe(II)/kg TS and 60 g H 2 O 2 /kg TS, 19.4% higher methane production was achieved compared to raw sludge in biochemical methane potential assay. Fenton pre-treatment resulted in the release of organic sludge components into the liquid phase. For 4 g Fe(II)/kg TS and 60 g H 2 O 2 /kg TS, dissolved organic carbon and total nitrogen in sludge's supernatant increased by 75.74 and 60.60%, respectively. Fenton pre-treatment enhanced the filterability of sludge and it can be applied for conditioning purpose before mechanical dewatering units.