Valorizing Olive Oil Mill Wastewater: Transforming Waste into Natural Soaps

In this research, the main objective is to find a solution to the problem of olive mill wastewater (OMWW). This solution involves the recovery of liquid waste produced by the crushing units, which contain a significant amount of oily residues despite their initial treatment. The concept is based on separating these discharges into aqueous and oil phases and using the latter to manufacture natural soaps. The liquid waste from the extraction of olive oil has a significant content of oily residues, characterized by a very high acidity (2.73%), exceeding the value of edible olive oil, as well as a high saponification index (186.2 mg KOH/g), making it an ideal source of fat for saponification. The results of the valorization of the OMWW in soap manufacturing reveal several significant elements. First, following the characterization of cold and hot products, a clear preference emerges in favor of soaps made using the cold process. In addition, the production yield is notable, with a rate of 94% for cold saponification and 89.9% for hot saponification, highlighting the efficiency of the process. Finally, the study highlights the importance of the quantities of fatty acids used in the formulation of soaps. An optimal formula is identified, comprising 40% oils recovered from the OMWW, 30% olive oil, 20% cocoa oil, and 10% castor oil, demonstrating the need for a precise balance to obtain quality soaps. This study solves the problem of the OMWW by reusing them to make natural soaps, thus reducing industrial waste. It also opens up new economic opportunities by creating a profitable and environmentally responsible production chain, promoting the transition to a circular economy

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century