BACKGROUND Olive mill wastewaters (OMWs) represent a major environmental concern due to their high organic load and phytotoxic activity. The selective recovery of phenolic compounds (PCs) from OMW is promising, thanks to the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of PCs. The goal of this work was to perform a life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of a full-scale process of PC adsorption/desorption on resin Amberlite XAD16N. The industrial process was designed on the basis of laboratory tests aimed at performing a preliminary process optimization. RESULTS Adsorption tests were conducted at different velocities in a 1.8-m column packed with XAD16N. The optimal superficial velocity and retention time (2.78 m h(-1) and 0.56 h) allowed the attainment of satisfactory performances in terms of resin operating capacity (0.46), PC adsorption yield (0.92), PC mass fraction in the sorbed product (0.50 g(PC)/g(VS)) and specific antioxidant activity (3-6 g(ascorbic acid)/g(PC)). Six consecutive adsorption/desorption cycles, operated with the same resin load, resulted in stable process performances. The LCA indicated that the environmental impact of the process could be decreased markedly through the addition of an anaerobic digestion step for the production of irrigation-quality water and fertilizers from the dephenolized OMW. The PC market price required for the generation of a positive business case resulted relatively low (euro1.7-13.5 kg(PC)(-1)). CONCLUSION The results indicate that the proposed PC adsorption/desorption technology, if integrated with an anaerobic digestion step, represents a promising solution for the treatment and valorization of OMW, a major agro-industrial waste in Mediterranean countries. (c) 2019 Society of Chemical Industry