Recycling Agricultural Wastewater for Direct Crop Irrigation
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Description
Wastewater is water that has previously been used in a municipal, industrial, or agricultural process. In this project, we will be focusing on the recycled use of agricultural wastewater. Agricultural wastewater is water that has been used for agricultural purposes, such as watering crops, preparation and processing of crops from the field in centralized facilities, or raising dairy cows. These sources can influence the type of contaminants, such as components found in fertilizers and pesticides, polluting the wastewater. Dairies are important sources for heavily polluted wastewater, both in Israel and California. Sewage from dairy farms is formed from several activities including manure and water for washing and maintaining the farm and milking facilities. The produced wastewater typically has high concentration of organic matter, nutrients, salts and pathogens, which can potentially contaminate soil and water sources if not well treated. Most water treatments comprise of mechanical, chemical, and biological methods to clean the water. There are several options for reusing treated water such as in agriculture, environmental restoration, or indirect potable reuse. Israel reuses over 80% of its wastewater, making it a world leader in water reuse. Despite being dominated by desert, Israel is a water-rich country, acting as an example for the rest of the world. In attempts to learn from Israel's water successes, our team is a collaboration of students from the University of San Diego and the Azrieli College of Engineering in Jerusalem. Together, we analyzed a sample of agricultural wastewater and studied reuse in direct crop irrigation.
Recycling Agricultural Wastewater for Direct Crop Irrigation
Wastewater is water that has previously been used in a municipal, industrial, or agricultural process. In this project, we will be focusing on the recycled use of agricultural wastewater. Agricultural wastewater is water that has been used for agricultural purposes, such as watering crops, preparation and processing of crops from the field in centralized facilities, or raising dairy cows. These sources can influence the type of contaminants, such as components found in fertilizers and pesticides, polluting the wastewater. Dairies are important sources for heavily polluted wastewater, both in Israel and California. Sewage from dairy farms is formed from several activities including manure and water for washing and maintaining the farm and milking facilities. The produced wastewater typically has high concentration of organic matter, nutrients, salts and pathogens, which can potentially contaminate soil and water sources if not well treated. Most water treatments comprise of mechanical, chemical, and biological methods to clean the water. There are several options for reusing treated water such as in agriculture, environmental restoration, or indirect potable reuse. Israel reuses over 80% of its wastewater, making it a world leader in water reuse. Despite being dominated by desert, Israel is a water-rich country, acting as an example for the rest of the world. In attempts to learn from Israel's water successes, our team is a collaboration of students from the University of San Diego and the Azrieli College of Engineering in Jerusalem. Together, we analyzed a sample of agricultural wastewater and studied reuse in direct crop irrigation.