Edible oil industry WWTP covers vegetable oil refineries, margarine plants, olive oil (vegetation water) and packaging facilities. Despite low water use, the effluent is among the most concentrated in any sector.
Oil wastewater BOD 2,000-10,000 mg/L, COD 5,000-30,000 mg/L, FOG 500-15,000 mg/L. Saponification (caustic) streams pH 11-13, acid degumming pH 2-3 — segregation and equalization are mandatory.
Arsistek oil sector solutions combine API separator, DAF, neutralization, equalization, anaerobic UASB and aerobic biological. Recovered FOG can be sold as biofuel/soap feedstock.
Oil Sector Wastewater Composition
Vegetable oil production has 5 main effluent-generating steps: pressing, extraction, neutralization, bleaching, deodorization.
Neutralization effluent has caustic + soaps — pH 11-13, COD 10,000+ mg/L (hardest stream). Deodorization effluent has high temperature (80-90°C) and volatile FFA.
Olive oil sector also produces vegetation water (vegetation water) with COD 100,000-200,000 mg/L. Seasonal (Oct-Feb) and toxic — requires evaporation, anaerobic or membrane concentration before bio.
DAF + Oil Recovery
DAF is essential for this sector — 95%+ FOG removal.
Float sludge contains 20-40% oil and can be centrifuged and sold as crude oil for biodiesel/soap feedstock.
Anaerobic UASB
UASB reactor delivers 80-90% COD removal after DAF.
Biogas yield 0.5 m³/kg COD removed powers plant boilers/dryers — reduces carbon footprint.
Olive Mill Wastewater (OMW)
Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is among the hardest industrial effluents globally. COD 100,000-200,000 mg/L, high polyphenols, pH 4-5, toxic.
3-stage approach recommended:
- Evaporation: 5-10x volume reduction
- Two-stage anaerobic: Separates acidogenic/methanogenic — 85%+ COD removal
- Aerobic polishing: Polyphenol biodegradation, regulatory compliance
Seasonal (Oct-Feb) operation requires biomass storage or hybrid co-feeding.
Oil Sector Solution Advantages
Oil Industry References
8 images coming soon — stay tuned for our reference projects and facility photos.
Frequently Asked Questions
DAF is the gold standard — 95%+ removal from 15,000 to <50 mg/L. Stable emulsions broken chemically before DAF.
Yes. Float sludge has 20-40% oil. Centrifuge or hot/cold separator yields a sellable feedstock for biodiesel or soap producers.
OMW COD is 100,000-200,000 mg/L — 20-100x typical industrial. Polyphenols inhibit bacteria. Standard biology fails; evaporation + two-stage anaerobic needed.
About 0.5 m³ biogas (~75% CH4) per kg COD removed. 500 m³/day at 10,000 mg/L COD yields ~2,000 m³/day biogas.
Olive season runs Oct-Feb (~5 months). Three methods: low-load feeding, hybrid feeding with other organic wastewaters, or granule storage at 4°C (80% viability for 6 months).
1-2 mo engineering, 3-4 mo fabrication, 1-2 mo on-site, 1-2 mo commissioning + bio adaptation. Total 6-10 months. OMW projects require extra pilot testing.