ScienceDaily, May 25, 2012
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| Experimental farm irrigated with solar-powered desalination system. (Credit: Image courtesy of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) |
Ben-Gurion University
of the Negev (BGU) researchers have created a human-made oasis in the desert
with the successful application of a solar-powered desalination system that
provides water for irrigation in arid regions. The project was made possible
with support from American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
(AABGU).
The solar-powered
system uses nanofiltration membranes to treat the local brackish (saline)
water, resulting in high-quality desalinated irrigation water. The results of
the Josefowitz Oasis Project indicate that irrigation with desalinated water
yields higher productivity from water and inorganic fertilizers compared with
current practices. Crops grown with desalinated water required 25 percent less
irrigation and fertilizer than brackish water irrigation. In some cases, the yield
of crops increased.
The findings were
presented in a paper at the Conference on Desalination for the Environment in
Barcelona late last month by Dr. Andrea Ghermandi of BGU's Zuckerberg Institute
for Water Research (ZIWR) on behalf of his colleagues Drs. Rami Messalem (ZIWR),
Rivka Offenbach, and Shabtai Cohen of the Central Arava Research and
Development Station. The Josefowitz Oasis Project was funded by Samuel
Josefowitz, of Lausanne, Switzerland with additional support from The Alliance
for Global Good, Greensboro, North Carolina through AABGU.
"The growing
global demand for food and competition for resources between economic sectors
compel future agricultural systems to be more efficient in the use of natural
resources, such as land and water," says Dr. Ghermandi. "In the Middle
East, the lack of fresh water promotes the exploitation of marginal quality
sources such as brackish aquifers, but the sustainability of the current
management practices is questionable."
The research was
conducted in the Arava Valley of Israel, south of the Dead Sea at a facility
that produces environmentally sustainable crops in arid environments. The Arava
basin is extremely dry and its agricultural activities rely extensively on
brackish groundwater from local aquifers.
Agricultural
experiments with variable irrigation water quality, application rate and four
different staple crops were conducted over two growing seasons between
September 2010 and June 2011. Nanofiltration membranes allowed for less pumping
of energy. The desalination plant operated at low pressure, low energy
consumption and with little maintenance required during the period.
The
researchers also used red beet, a salt-tolerant crop, to successfully consume
the liquid wastes of the pilot facility over two growing seasons. This demonstrates
that the moderately saline concentrate waste from brackish water desalination
can be a useable byproduct.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
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