Olive oil mill wastewater (OMW) is, together with the pomace, the main by-product of the olive oil production. Its chemical composition makes the disposal complicated and there is no valid technology that has completely resolved this problem on industrial level. Due to the current lack of appropriate alternative technologies to properly treat this waste, most OMWW in the Mediterranean area is discharged directly into sewer systems and water streams or dumped, untreated, on the soil, affecting terrestrial and aquatic environments. STC has implemented several R&D activities which led to the publication of a patent -application number EP07425606- regarding an innovative and clean process for the treatment and the recovery of humid pomace produced by two-phase oil mills. Thanks to STC economically and environmentally sustainable process, it is finally possible to convert a polluting waste into a valuable resources such as: 1. purified water to be re-used in the industrial process, i.e. for the olive washing pre-treatment; 2. Antioxidant phenolic compounds to be used within the cosmetic, food or phytotherapy industries; 3. Biogas to produce clean electricity and heat. The wide experience in the field, allowed STC to be part of the project RE-WASTE included by the European Commission among the projects co-financed under the LIFE+ program. In this occasion, the company had the chance to apply its patented process by carrying out the engineering of one industrial plant realized in 2010 for an important oil mill located in Montesarchio (BN) Italy.
