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Nestled in the scenic landscapes of the Atlas Mountains, Tighadouin is known for its ancient olive groves and artisanal oil-making methods. The visit begins with a tour of the olive orchards, where visitors learn about the cultivation and harvesting of olives. They witnessed the careful handpicking of olives and the local methods used to press and extract the precious oil.
The tour moves to the olive mill, where experts guide the team through the pressing process, from the washing and crushing of the olives to the mechanical or traditional methods used for extraction. We have seen how modern technology has streamlined the process while preserving the rich cultural heritage of olive oil production. Alongside this, we discovered the environmental impact of this process, especially regarding the generation of olive oil pollution. The by-products, including olive pomace and wastewater, significantly contribute to pollution. Discussions around this have shed light on the local efforts and challenges in managing these environmental concerns.
After that, Dr. Faissal presents the olive field, in which the WP5 activities will be implemented to reuse the treated OMWW, biochar and WAB amendment add and the irrigation systems to be tested…etc.
The experience is capped off with a delightful olive oil tasting session, where we savor the region’s finest oils. Tasting different varieties, we explored the subtle nuances of flavor, texture, and aroma while learning to distinguish between high-quality oils.
SAMPLING
After visiting the modern olive oil extraction factory, we explored the aquatic sites upstream and downstream of the station to assess and detect the quality of these environments, which the factory’s discharges could potentially impact. We started with a site upstream of the factory (Photo 7), where the FVB-IGB partner took on-site measurements using two advanced probes connected to a small laptop to display the results. These probes measured dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, salinity, chlorophyll-a, and phycocyanin. Additionally, we collected two samples, which we fixed with Lugol’s solution to analyze the phytoplankton and zooplankton communities in Germany at IGB. We then selected other sites downstream of the factory to perform the same measurements, allowing us to compare the data and study the potential impact of the factory’s discharges.
