TRILAT-OLIVEOIL

Summary

Due to the often practised uncontrolled disposal into the environment, olive oil production waste-water (OPWW) is presently a serious environmental problem in Palestine and Israel. The objectives of this interdisciplinary trilateral research project are (i) to understand the mechanisms of influence of the olive oil production wastewater on soil wettability, water storage, interaction with organic agrochemicals and pollutants; (ii) monitor short-term and long-term effects of OPWW land application in model laboratory and field experiments; (iii) identify the components responsible for unwanted changes in soil properties and (iv) analyse the mechanisms of association of OPWW OM with soil, the interplay between climatic conditions, pH, presence of multivalent cations and the resulting effects of land application.

Laboratory incubation experiments, field experiments and new experiments to study heat-induced water repellency will be conducted to identify responsible OPWW compounds and mechanisms of interaction. Samples from field experiments and laboratory experiments are investigated using 3D excitation-emission fluorescence spectroscopy, thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis-mass spectrometry (TGA-DSC-MS), LC-MS and GC-MS analyses. We will combine thermal decomposition profiles from OPWW and OPWW-treated soils in dependence of the incubation status using TGA-DSC-MS, contact angle measurements, sorption isotherms and the newly developed time dependent sessile drop method (TISED). The resulting process understanding will open a perspective for OPWW wastewater reuse in small-scale and family-scale olive oil produc-tion businesses in the Mediterranean area and will further help to comprehend the until now not fully unravelled effects of wastewater irrigation on soil water repellency.
 

Projektleitung

German team:
Prof. Dr. Gabriele E. Schaumann (Project leader)

Israeli team:
Dr. Mikhail Borisover, ARO, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan
Dr. Ahmed Nasser, ARO, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan

Palestinian Team:
Dr. Amer Marei Sawalha, Al Quds University Jerusalem
Dr. Jawad Hasan, , Al Quds University Jerusalem
 

Mitarbeiter/Staff

Benjamin Peikert (PhD student), Germany
Nicole Bandow (Scientist), Germany
Markus Kurtz (Master student), Germany
Daniel Bibus (case study student), Germany
Felix Thelen (Student Assistant), Germany
Ulrike Braun (Student Assistant), Germany
Michael Burstert (Student Assistant), Germany

Yonatan Keren (Master student), Israel
N.N. (Laboratory Assistant), Israel

Nesreen Mansour (PhD student), Palestinian Authority
Mahmoud abo garfa (Master student), Palestinian Authority
Mohanad Njoum (Master student) , Palestinian Authority

Publications

with peer-review