Olive mill wastewaters decontamination based on organo-nano-clay composites

Abstract Green composites for environmental applications were successfully prepared by intercalation of the biosurfactant Quillaja saponin onto montmorillonite mineral clay on varying pH and surfactant/clay ratio. Equilibrium adsorption isotherms were constructed and the system was characterized by performing TGA and XRD analyses. The efficiency of the surfactant-modified clay in the removal of the organic content present in olive mill wastewaters (OMW) was evaluated by means of spectrophotometric measurements. The interest for this cogent issue comes from the consideration that, despite their high pollutant content, OMW can be considered as a potential resource of several organic compounds…