Wool Wax Extraction From Washing Effluent and Effect on Olea europea Germination and Growth

Abstract

Effluents from textile industry using wool pose serious environmental nuisances in Tunisia that are mainly due to their pollutant load and the release of unpleasant odors. In order to minimize these hazards and to take advantage of these wastes for the sake of our environment, the present work consists on valuating wool wax from washing effluent on olive ( Olea europea), germination and growth. Extraction was made in water at 70°C or hexane using sonication followed by concentration of the extracts in soxhlet apparatus. Results showed that this waste is characterized by its richness in total lipid content with extraction yields of 60.7 and 95.6%, respectively. GC-MS analysis of wax showed its richness on fatty acids. Six saturated fatty acids ranking from 15 to 27 carbon atoms were characterized. Furthermore, diluted wax at a dose of 1.25 mg/g significantly improves germination of olive seeds by germination index calculation, to reach a maximum of 150 ± 17%. In fertigation experiment, the use of the same dose of diluted wax promotes plant length to reach 45.7 ± 2.52 cm. GC-MS analysis after derivatization showed significant enhancement of auxin production in plants treated with 1.25 mg of wax/g of soil compared to control with a concentration of 1.1 ± .1 and .7 ± .2 ng/mg, respectively. This leads us to valuate wool wax as environmental friendly natural product in agricultural and fertigation practice of olive plant.

Development of an industrial sustainable process for wax esters production: enzyme immobilization, process optimization, and plant simulation

“…After water, the most abundant ingredients in cosmetic formulations are emollients, among which wax esters are the predominant ones. According to the available literature, these esters can be obtained through different green methods: the most widely used is extraction from natural sources, [1][2][3][4][5][6] followed by the not common microbiological production, [7][8][9] and the emerging enzymatic synthesis using lipases and natural substrates. [10][11][12] Spermaceti is a wax composed of various high molecular weight esters that is often used as a lubricant and in the pharmaceutical and food industries.…”

Valorization of Baker Yeast Industry Waste in Agriculture by Improving Germination and Growth of Barley and Pea

“…Similar results were found in our previous study dealing with the effect of wool wax from washing effluent on olive plant growth improvement by auxin induction. 9 A dose-response correlation was noted when pea plants were irrigated by doses of furfural as a major compound of cream. Auxin was enhanced in plants treated by .31 mg/g of furfural, to reach 9.89 ± .56 ng/gFW.…”

“…The whole is dried for 2 h in the oven at 105°C. 9 Total nitrogen was determined by the Kjeldahl method. 10 …”

“…Indeed, all the pots were placed in a greenhouse designed as a growth chamber programmed for a photoperiod of 12 h of light and 12 h of darkness, with a photosynthetic photon flux density of 300 μmol m −2 s −1 , temperature of 24 ± 1/18 ± 1°C day/night, and relative humidity of 60/70 ± 3%. 9 The test was carried out in a polystyrene honeycomb plate filled with soil (20% of sand, 2% of clay, and 5% of organic matter, pH = 7 ± .5). Plants aged of 1 week are carefully irrigated with 10 mL of water or diluted cream in water with a dose of 10–.31 mg/g soil for 20 days.…”