ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT OLIVE OIL RESIDUE TREATMENT PLANTS HASBAIYA MUNICIPALITIES CAZA OF HASBAIYA Prepared by EARTH LINK AND ADVANCED RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT (ELARD) Submitted to: MERCY CORPS INTERNATIONAL (MCI) September 2004 Environmental Impact Assessment ELARD TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................ II LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................VIII LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................XI LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................XI LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS ..................................................................................................XII LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS ..................................................................................................XII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................XIII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................XIII NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY....................................................................................... XVI INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... XVI LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS ........................................................................... XVI PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT........................................................................................................... XVI DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT .............................................................................................. XVII DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT .....................................................................................XIX IMPACT ASSESSMENT .............................................................................................................XX ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN .................................................................................XX 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................ 1 1.1. THE OVERALL CONTEXT ................................................................................................ 1 1.2. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE ..................................................................................... 1 1.3. THE PROJECT .................................................................................................................. 5 1.4. THE PROJECT LOCATION................................................................................................. 6 1.5. THE STUDY AND THE EIA REPORT ................................................................................. 8 Olive Oil Residue Treatment Plant – Caza of Hasbaiya ii Environmental Impact Assessment ELARD 2. LEGISLATIVE AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS ...................................... 9 2.1. LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK............................................................................................. 9 2.2. INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................... 13 3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ............................................................................. 14 3.1. PROJECTS INITIATION ................................................................................................... 14 3.2. IMPORTANCE OF THE PROJECT ...................................................................................... 14 3.3. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT ........................................................................................ 15 3.4. THE EXECUTING OFFICE............................................................................................... 16 4. OLIVE MILL WASTE GENERATION AND MANAGEMENT ............................ 17 4.1. OLIVE OIL SECTOR ....................................................................................................... 17 4.1.1 Olive Oil Production.............................................................................................. 17 4.1.2 Olive Oil Sector Productivity................................................................................. 19 4.1.3 Olive Tree Density ................................................................................................. 19 4.2. OLIVE MILLS ................................................................................................................ 20 4.2.1 General Description of Olive oil Extraction Processes......................................... 20 4.2.1.1 Reception.....................................................................................................................................................20 4.2.1.2 Milling and Extraction ..............................................................................................................................21 4.2.2 Types of Olive Mills ............................................................................................... 21 4.2.2.1 Traditional...................................................................................................................................................21 4.2.2.2 Continuous Three-phase System.............................................................................................................22 4.2.2.3 Continuous Two-phase System...............................................................................................................22 4.2.2.4 Comparison of Olive Mill Extraction Systems .....................................................................................23 4.3. OLIVE MILL RESIDUAL WASTE .................................................................................... 24 4.3.1 Kinds of By-Products............................................................................................. 24 4.3.1.1 Olive Cake ...................................................................................................................................................24 4.3.1.2 Olive Pulp....................................................................................................................................................24 4.3.1.3 Vegetable Water.........................................................................................................................................24 4.3.1.4 Leaves ..........................................................................................................................................................24 4.3.2 Residual Waste Characteristics ............................................................................. 25 4.3.2.1 Olive Mill Wastewater or Vegetable Water..........................................................................................25 4.3.2.2 Spent Olives or Olive Pomace.................................................................................................................27 4.3.3 Treatment Methods................................................................................................ 29 4.3.3.1 Olive Mill Wastewater..............................................................................................................................29 4.3.3.2 Spent Olive Pomace ..................................................................................................................................31 Olive Oil Residue Treatment Plant – Caza of Hasbaiya iii Environmental Impact Assessment ELARD 5. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT.......................................................................... 33 5.1. DESCRIPTION OF THE INFLUENT WASTEWATER ............................................................ 33 5.2. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT......................................................................... 35 5.3. PROCESS THEORY......................................................................................................... 36 5.3.1 Anaerobic Biological Treatment Processes........................................................... 38 5.3.1.1 Anaerobic Reactor Types .........................................................................................................................39 5.3.1.2 High Rate Suspended Growth Anaerobic Reactors .............................................................................40 5.3.2 Aerobic Biological Treatment Processes............................................................... 42 5.3.2.1 Aerobic Reactor Types .............................................................................................................................43 5.3.2.2 Activated Sludge (Suspended Growth) Aerobic Reactors..................................................................45 5.4. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES ....................................................................................... 46 5.4.1 Process Selection ................................................................................................... 46 5.4.2 Site Selection.......................................................................................................... 55 5.4.3 Regional Treatment Plant...................................................................................... 56 5.5. DETAILED PROCESS DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................