Technoeconomic Analysis of the Recovery of Phenols from Olive Mill Wastewater through Membrane Filtration and Resin Adsorption/Desorption

Dimitris P. Zagklis, Costas S. Papageorgiou and Christakis A. Paraskeva
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Dimitris P. Zagklis: Laboratory of Transport Phenomena and Physicochemical Hydrodynamics (LTPPH), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, GR26504 Patras, Greece
Costas S. Papageorgiou: Laboratory of Transport Phenomena and Physicochemical Hydrodynamics (LTPPH), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, GR26504 Patras, Greece
Christakis A. Paraskeva: Laboratory of Transport Phenomena and Physicochemical Hydrodynamics (LTPPH), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, GR26504 Patras, Greece

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-12

Abstract: Olive mill wastewater is an important agro-industrial waste with no established treatment method. The authors have developed a phenol separation method that could potentially cover the treatment cost of the waste. The purpose of this study was to identify any economic hotspots in the process, the operational cost and examine the margin of profit for such a process. The equipment cost was scaled for different treatment capacities and then used to estimate the fixed capital investment and the yearly operational cost. The highest purchased equipment cost was identified for the membrane filtration system, while the cost for resin replacement was identified as the highest operational cost. The lifespan of the resin used in the adsorption step was identified as an economic hot spot for the process, with the phenols separation cost ranging from 0.84 to 13.6 €/g of phenols for a resin lifespan of 5–100 adsorption/desorption cycles. The lifespan of the resin proved to be the single most important aspect that determines the phenols separation cost. The price range that was calculated for the product of the process is very promising because of the typical value of antioxidants and the low concentration of phenols that are needed for food supplements and cosmetics.

Keywords: phenols; membrane filtration; resin adsorption; olive mill wastewater; agro-industrial wastes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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