AccScience Publishing / AJWEP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/ajwep.6618
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Valorization of olive mill wastewater through irrigation trials of Triticum durum seeds using the dilution approach

Omar Elrhaouat1* ,  Mohamed Hadji1 ,  Sakina Belhamidi2 ,  Mohammed Ouhssine1
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1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Kenitra Province, Morocco
2 Department of Chemistry, Higher School of Technical Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Kenitra, Kenitra Province, Morocco
AJWEP, 6618 https://doi.org/10.36922/ajwep.6618
Received: 27 November 2024 | Revised: 29 January 2025 | Accepted: 5 February 2025 | Published online: 26 November 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) generated by industrial extraction units in olive oil mills is a significant source of pollution for the ecosystem. This pollution manifests through inhibited soil microbial activity and reduced plant germination rates due to high acidity, excessive salinity, and the presence of heavy metals. This study aimed to enhance the value of these effluents by restoring soil microbial activity and promoting plant germination through a series of increasing dilutions to determine the optimal dose. This dilution process effectively neutralized the pH and rebalanced the microbial load, facilitating the reappearance of various bacterial species, such as fecal coliforms, total coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus. This resurgence significantly contributed to improved soil fertility. Furthermore, at a 10/100 dilution ratio, wheat seed germination reached 98%, with seedling growth reaching 18 cm – observations comparable to the control batch. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of this dilution strategy in mitigating the negative effects of OMW on agricultural soils.

Keywords
Germination
Dilution
Soil
Microbes
Heavy metals
Olive mill wastewater
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors confirm that there were no conflicts of interest.
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Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, Electronic ISSN: 1875-8568 Print ISSN: 0972-9860, Published by AccScience Publishing
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