Optimum design parameters of solar still unit operating toward olive mill wastewater management

The present study was conducted at a pilot-scale level to investigate the applicability of solar distillation technique for in situ management practice at olive mills, by evaluating the system performance regarding condensate productivity on a long-term basis, starting from the beginning of November till the end of July. A model developed based on mass balance approach was used to determine the optimum design parameters required for plant demonstration. Various condensate production rates were obtained for each month with a lower value (0.4 L/m2. day) obtained during January and a higher value (1.8 L/m2. day) obtained during July. At a typical olive mill generating 15 m3/day of olive mill wastewater (OMW) and operating for 75 days, the minimum design depth and area required for plant demonstration were 30 cm and 3250 m2, respectively.