Experimental investigations of oleic acid separation from olive oil and olive mill wastewater: A comparative study

Oleical industry produces along with olive oil,two fractions of wastes: a solid fraction called pomace and a liquid one called olive oil mill wastewater (omw). the omw is known for its high concentration in oily residues. these residues remain unused. in this context,this work aims to separate the oily phase (high acidity of 3.397%) which will constitute a raw material for oleic acid production. after undergoing a transesterification reaction at temperatures between -4°c and 20°c,the oily phase yields methyl esters which are subjected to four crystallizations with urea in order to remove saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. a pure olive oil from the same region is subjected to the same process. this operation was performed to determine the efficiency of our process,thus making it possible for us to compare the quality of both resultant oleic acids. cpg analysis showed that the final product from olive oil contains 97.75% of methyl oleate,while the oleic acid extracted from omw contains 95.5%. an additional process has been suggested,to isolate the glycerin obtained- as a by-product - during the transesterification this process will furthermore,allow the production of biodegradable soap.