Title: Assessment of toxicity of the untreated and Pleurotus ostreatus treated olive mill wastewater by using microbiotests

Authors: Angela Rouvalis; Chris Theodoropoulos; Joan Iliopoulou-Georgudaki

Addresses: Department of Biology, Unit of Environmental Management, Pollution and Ecotoxicology, University of Patras, Rio, 26500, Patras, Greece ' Department of Biology, Unit of Environmental Management, Pollution and Ecotoxicology, University of Patras, Rio, 26500, Patras, Greece ' Department of Biology, Unit of Environmental Management, Pollution and Ecotoxicology, University of Patras, Rio, 26500, Patras, Greece

Abstract: Toxicity of raw and biotreated olive mill wastewater (OMW) was tested using three organisms, Daphnia pulex, Thamnocephalus platyurus and zebrafish (Danio rerio). Untreated samples demonstrated LC50 values of 1.27%, 0.96% and 0.48% v/v against the aforementioned organisms respectively. After treatment with the white rot fungi Pleurotus ostreatus, 50% and 56% reduction in toxicity values were observed for Thamnocephalus platyurus and zebrafish respectively, but samples were categorised as 'very toxic'. A significant reduction in phenols (53%), lignin (74%) and tannin (73%) as well as a differentiation in the impact of the physicochemical parameters on toxicity between the two groups of samples was detected. Toxicity values of untreated samples against the first two aforementioned tests were highly related to phenols and tannins, whereas of treated samples, only to ammonium and phenols. According to the present study, OMW treatment with Pleurotus ostreatus, despite the significant reduction in the toxic contents, does not produce effluents environmentally acceptable for safe disposal.

Keywords: wastewater toxicity; olive mill wastewater; Daphnia pulex; Thamnocephalus platyurus; zebrafish; white rot fungi; water pollution; biotreatment; wastewater treatment; phenols; lignin; tannin; ammonium; effluent; olive mills; water quality.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEE.2013.056623

International Journal of Environmental Engineering, 2013 Vol.5 No.4, pp.373 - 386

Accepted: 26 Dec 2011
Published online: 31 Oct 2013 *

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