Olive Oil Industry Faces Environmental Reckoning in Morocco

The objective is to control the management of pressing waste, the anarchic discharge of which into watercourses poses a real danger to groundwater and the environment. This is the goal of the mixed inspection commissions sent to the provinces of Chefchaouen, Ouezzane and Larache. They have warned the owners of the visited units of their obligation to comply with the regulations in force, reports Al Akhbar. However, the rigorous implementation of measures to curb this scourge is being pointed out. Among them, the creation of dedicated industrial zones and the organization of the collection and recycling of OMW. Only the effective implementation of these projects would guarantee a sustainable solution.

As the new season approaches, the search for sustainable technical solutions is imperative. A differentiated system is being considered depending on the type of facility. For traditional presses, with limited processing capacity, a pragmatic solution should be implemented. It is a question of equipping them with 200-liter drums and small evaporation basins. An average investment of 20,000 dirhams per unit is planned. For modern three-phase presses, generating significant amounts of effluent, a meticulous treatment system, incorporating sealed evaporation basins and processes for separating oils and eliminating solid matter, is essential.

As for modern and semi-modern units, they require more sophisticated techniques. The treatment is carried out in two phases, separating the oil from the solid residues in order to reduce the volume of liquid OMW discharged. The effort then focuses on the treatment of solid waste, rich in OMW, using the drying technique, according to the same source.