Processing of Olive Oil Wastewater into Organic Soap

The purpose of the proposed project is to establish a system and process for filtrating olive oil wastewater (OOW) into natural soap. The system will be created based on existing technologies, which have already been studied and implemented in other countries. Through this project, olive oil wastewater in the Meknes region will be transported to a facility for the filtration process. Several olive cooperatives, or a large cooperative, would be responsible for the transport of the wastewater to the filtration facility.

The project would also facilitate the creation of a new women-owned and operated cooperative to help manage this system. In addition to providing a solution to the environmental implications of oil olive wastewater, the project will also have an economic and socio-economic benefit, particularly for low-income individuals and women. This project represents a first step in implementing OOW to natural soap in Morocco.

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For further development, RC is asking for institutional support to offer laboratory services to test OOW composition and to design the processes and system needed to turn it into a quality soap product. This project could be designed as a collaborative university project with an in-person internship or study abroad. Contact ejohnson@resilientcommunitiesngo.org for more information.