Polyphenol removal from olive mill waste waters by selected mould strains

Mould strains were isolated from Olive Mill Waste (OMW) waters, characteriz ed and screened for their activities on polyphenols hydrolysis by reculturi ng on the olive mill waste waters itself. The selected strains were then us ed for polyphenols removal in pure culture assays in flasks. Prior to the i noculation, OMW water was diluted to prepare three initial concentrations o f polyphenols (2.2 g/L; 4.5g/L; 14.5g/L). Chemical characteristics includin g polyphenols and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) were followed up in these as says. Results showed that the polyphenols removal by some strains was estim ated to around 95.14% and the COD was also decreased by 43%. Olive mill was te waters are normally colored in dark because of the polyphenols oxidation . The microbial strains by hydrolysing the polyphenols had decolored comple tely these effluents and a clear liquid was obtained after 12-15 days of tr eatment under aerobic shaking in laboratory. Polyphenols may have some inhi bitory effect which would cause problems to the biological treatment of the se effluents. Their removal would facilitate the treatment of the waste.