Olive mill wastewater valorisation through phenolic compounds adsorption in a continuous flow column

•Recovery of phenolic compounds from olive mill wastewaters by adsorption/desorption.•Isotherms and breakthrough tests carried out at 2 temperatures.•Process simulation with a 1-D convection/dispersion model with mass-transfer.•Preliminary model-based design of a pilot-scale adsorption column.•Development of precise and automated HPLC method for total phenolic compounds.