Sustainable Utilization of Olive Mill Wastewater in the Construction Materials: Opportunities and Applications
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Civil Engineering, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
- 2Department of civil engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Koya University, Koya 44023, Kurdistan Region – F.R., Iraq; Corresponding author.
- 3GREENIUS Research Group, Universidad Internacional de Valencia – VIU, Calle Pintor Sorolla 21, Valencia, 46002, Spain
- 4Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
Abstract
Olive mill wastewater (OMW) constitutes a noteworthy contributor to environmental contamination. Specifically, it poses a significant environmental challenge for countries that are major producers of olive oil and face water scarcity issues. This review examines the potential of OMW as a partial substitute for freshwater in construction materials and evaluates its effects on the resulting material properties. Studies have investigated OMW at mixing-water replacement levels including 7.5% and 40%. In selected concrete mixtures, 28-day compressive strength increased by up to 38%, while a separate study reported slump increases of up to 430% under different mixture conditions. These results do not establish a universal optimal replacement range. The observed increase in workability suggests a possible effect of OMW constituents on the fresh mixture, but a plasticizing mechanism has not been directly demonstrated. According to ASTM requirements, the properties of the mixed water were assessed, and a 12% OMWW replacement level was identified as the maximum ratio that remained within the specified ASTM limits. Similarly, the incorporation of OMW in bricks can lead to improved thermal insulation and up to 30% energy savings during firing . Utilizing OMW in the construction industry not only prevents the adverse effects linked to its disposal but also diminishes the usage of freshwater, especially in nations grappling with water scarcity problems.
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BibTeX
@article{alqasem2026sustainable,
title = {{Sustainable Utilization of Olive Mill Wastewater in the Construction Materials: Opportunities and Applications}},
author = {Imad A. Al-Qasem and Mohanad Yaseen Abdulwahid and Daniel Jato-Espino and Valentin Romanovski},
journal = {Cleaner Water},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.clwat.2026.100332},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clwat.2026.100332},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sustainable Utilization of Olive Mill Wastewater in the Construction Materials: Opportunities and Applications
AU - Imad A. Al-Qasem
AU - Mohanad Yaseen Abdulwahid
AU - Daniel Jato-Espino
AU - Valentin Romanovski
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Cleaner Water
DO - 10.1016/j.clwat.2026.100332
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clwat.2026.100332
AB - Olive mill wastewater (OMW) constitutes a noteworthy contributor to environmental contamination. Specifically, it poses a significant environmental challenge for countries that are major producers of olive oil and face water scarcity issues. This review examines the potential of OMW as a partial substitute for freshwater in construction materials and evaluates its effects on the resulting material properties. Studies have investigated OMW at mixing-water replacement levels including 7.5% and 40%. In selected concrete mixtures, 28-day compressive strength increased by up to 38%, while a separate study reported slump increases of up to 430% under different mixture conditions. These results do not establish a universal optimal replacement range. The observed increase in workability suggests a possible effect of OMW constituents on the fresh mixture, but a plasticizing mechanism has not been directly demonstrated. According to ASTM requirements, the properties of the mixed water were assessed, and a 12% OMWW replacement level was identified as the maximum ratio that remained within the specified ASTM limits. Similarly, the incorporation of OMW in bricks can lead to improved thermal insulation and up to 30% energy savings during firing . Utilizing OMW in the construction industry not only prevents the adverse effects linked to its disposal but also diminishes the usage of freshwater, especially in nations grappling with water scarcity problems.
SN - 2950-2632
ER -