<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Environmental conditions play a major role for effects of olive mill wastewater (OMW) application to soil. Choosing a different season for OMW application than the commonly practiced winter, may help avoid negative effects. However, understanding of the OMW-soil interaction during different seasons is still incomplete due to the lack of comparative data. In this study, an 18 months field experiment was carried out in an olive orchard in West Bank. Degree and persistence of soil salinization, acidification, accumulation of phenolic compounds and soil water repellency were investigated as a function of soil depth and time elapsed after OMW application, which was performed either in spring, summer (with and without irrigation) or winter. The persistence of negative effects increased with duration of the hot and dry period following the application due to accumulation and polymerization of OMW. On the other hand, leaching of OMW components to groundwater is favored during the rainy season and by formation of preferential flow paths before the rain season starts. The risks of groundwater contamination and persistent negative effects decrease with increasing time under conditions favoring biological activity. Therefore, OMW application in spring if improved by a careful irrigation is considered as the most suitable under semiarid conditions for clay loam soils.</p></abstract>

Environmental conditions play a major role for effects of olive mill wastewater (OMW) application to soil. Choosing a different season for OMW application than the commonly practiced winter, may help avoid negative effects. However, understanding of the OMW-soil interaction during different seasons is still incomplete due to the lack of comparative data. In this study, an 18 months field experiment was carried out in an olive orchard in West Bank. Degree and persistence of soil salinization, acidification, accumulation of phenolic compounds and soil water repellency were investigated as a function of soil depth and time elapsed after OMW application, which was performed either in spring, summer (with and without irrigation) or winter. The persistence of negative effects increased with duration of the hot and dry period following the application due to accumulation and polymerization of OMW. On the other hand, leaching of OMW components to groundwater is favored during the rainy season and by formation of preferential flow paths before the rain season starts. The risks of groundwater contamination and persistent negative effects decrease with increasing time under conditions favoring biological activity. Therefore, OMW application in spring if improved by a careful irrigation is considered as the most suitable under semiarid conditions for clay loam soils.

Effects of olive mill wastewater disposal on soil: Interaction mechanisms during different seasons

Universität Koblenz-Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Group of Environmental and Soil Chemistry, Fortstr. 7, 76829 Landau, Germany.

Al-Quds University, Faculty of Science, The Earth and Environmental Science Department, Jerusalem, P.O. Box 2000, Palestinian Territories.

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Environmental conditions play a major role for effects of olive mill wastewater (OMW) application to soil. Choosing a different season for OMW application than...

Effects of olive mill wastewater disposal on soil: Interaction mechanisms during different seasons

Published Online: May 12, 2016

Page range: 176 - 195

Received: Sep 04, 2015

Accepted: Feb 01, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/johh-2016-0017

Keywords
Olive mill wastewater, Soil water repellency, Acidification, Salinity, Soluble phenolic compounds, Leaching

© 2016 Nisreen Tamimi et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Effects of olive mill wastewater disposal on soil: Interaction mechanisms during different seasons

Published Online: May 12, 2016

Page range: 176 - 195

Received: Sep 04, 2015

Accepted: Feb 01, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/johh-2016-0017

KeywordsOlive mill wastewater, Soil water repellency, Acidification, Salinity, Soluble phenolic compounds, Leaching

© 2016 Nisreen Tamimi et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Olive mill wastewater, Soil water repellency, Acidification, Salinity, Soluble phenolic compounds, Leaching