The adverse environmental impacts of olive mill waste water is due to high concentration of oxygen demanding substances and the presence of phytotoxic compounds such as phenol.
Please look at this;
Influence of exposure time on phenol toxicity to
refinery wastewater bacteria
Influence of exposure time on the response of pure cultures of bacteria and microbial community of petroleum refinery wastewater to toxicity of phenol was assessed through TTC-dehydrogenase activity (DHA) inhibition test. At sufficient concentrations, exposure of these bacterial cells to phenol resulted in inhibition of dehydrogenase activity. In Pseudomonas sp. RWW2 and Escherichia sp. DISK2, phenol progressively inhibited dehydrogenase activity at 200 - 1400 mg/l at all the exposure time. However, in Bacillus sp. DISK1, Pseudomonas sp. DAF1 and microbial community, increase in exposure time resulted in stimulation of dehydrogenase activity at lower concentrations of phenol. The toxicity threshold concentrations of phenol vary among the bacterial strains and the exposure time and indicate that bacteria could acclimate to phenol with increase in exposure time. At concentrations higher than 800 mg/l, phenol toxicity was not overcome in Pseudomonas and Escherichia species as well as the microbial community. It is suggested that for acute TTC-dehydrogenase assay involving bacteria,
reliable and reproducible result would be best achieved within 48 h.
Key words: Dehydrogenase activity, petroleum refinery wastewater, dose-response models.
http://academicjournals.org/article/article1379430236_Nweke%20and%20%20Okpokwasili.pdf
When I worked in the wastewater field, I had a biological reactor and I operated it as a single batch reactor. The total volume in the reactor was about 20 000 L a day including the mixed liquor and it could tolerate phenol concentrations of 30mg/L whitout shownig signs of "intoxication". After 20h of aeration, the phenol concentration would be under 1mg/L. So it really depends on the system you are using. I went over this concentration a few times and I had to add more aerobic periods to my treatement in order to get the phenol concentration below 1mg/L.
I know it might no be the most scientific answer but it gives you an idea of what can be done with a basic SBR.
Phenol acts specifically on the cell membrane and inactivates intracytoplasm
enzymes by forming unstable complexes. The lipophilic molecules are trapped by the membrane phospholipids.
I think this paper could answer your question
http://www.aidic.it/cet/12/27/055.pdf
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