Project Grant 20223361037529

WATER IS CRITICAL TO AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION AND FOOD SECURITY. ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE WORLD BANK, TRRIGATED AGRICULTURE REPRESENTS APPROXIMATELY 20% OF TOTAL CULTIVATED LAND, AND ACCOUNTS FOR 40% OF THE TOTAL FOOD PRODUCED WORLDWIDE. THE DEMAND FOR IRRIGATION WATER IS PREDICTED TO INCREASE GREATLY AS A 70% INCREASE IN AGRICULTURAL FOOD PRODUCTION IS NEEDED TO MEET THE DEMAND OF THE GROWING POPULATION. AT THE SAME TIME, COMPETITION FOR WATER WITH MUNICIPAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND INDUSTRIAL USERS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE, WITH 25 - 40% OF AGRICULTURE WATER EXPECTED TO BE RE-ALLOCATED TO OTHER SECTORS. THESE CHANGES WILL LEAD TO FURTHER INCREASE IN THE ALREADY LARGE GAP BETWEEN THE IRRIGATION WATER DEMAND AND SUPPLY. IN THE MEANTIME, AGRICULTURE IS FACING INCREASING WATER RISK AS A RESULT OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE, WHICH INCREASES THE UNCERTAINTY IN PRECIPITATION PATTERNS AND THEREFORE AGRICULTURE WATER SUPPLY. EXTENDED DROUGHTS HAVE HAD OVERWHELMING IMPACTS ON GLOBAL AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION, AND WILL BE EXACERBATED BY GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE. FINDING ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES FOR AGRICULTURE IS THEREFORE NECESSARY TO SUSTAIN AGRICULTURE ACTIVITIES AND ENSURE FOOD SECURITY.ON THE OTHER HAND, AGRICULTURE ACTIVITIES ARE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH WATER RESOURCES, IN BOTH WATER QUANTITY AND QUALITY. AGRICULTURE IRRIGATION ACCOUNTS FOR ~ 70% OF FRESHWATER WITHDRAWAL. INTENSIVE PUMPING OF GROUNDWATER FOR AGRICULTURE HAS LED TO DEPLETION OF DRINKING WATER AQUIFERS IN MANY PLACES. THE USE OF LARGE QUANTITIES OF FERTILIZERS, PESTICIDES AND HERBICIDES LEADS TO CONTAMINATION OF SURFACE WATER BY SURFACE RUNOFF OR DISCHARGE OF IRRIGATION DRAINAGE WATER. SALTS IN WATER DO NOT DEGRADE, AND CAN ACCUMULATE IN WATER BASINS AND AGRICULTURAL LANDS. INCREASING SALINITY IN IRRIGATION WATER REDUCES CROP PRODUCTIVITY. MORE IMPORTANTLY, ACCUMULATION OF SALTS IN SOIL WILL EVENTUALLY REMOVE LAND FROM PRODUCTION, LEADING TO LOSS OF AGRICULTURAL LAND. IN CALIFORNIA ALONE, 4.5MILLION ACRES OF IRRIGATED CROPLAND ARE AFFECTED BY SALINE SOILS OR SALINE IRRIGATION WATER, PUTTING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURAL LAND AT RISK.TREATING UNCONVENTIONAL WATER SOURCES AT LOW COSTS AND USING THEM FOR AGRICULTURE IRRIGATION PRESENT AN EXCELLENT SOLUTION TO IRRIGATION WATER SUPPLY. WHEN USING WASTEWATER (E.G., IRRIGATION DRAINAGE WATER, OIL & GAS PRODUCED WATER) AS THE WATER SOURCE, THE TREATMENT AND REUSE OF THE WASTE STREAMS NOT ONLY ERADICATE THE NEED FOR WASTEWATER DISPOSAL, BUT ALSO CREATE ADDITIONAL, HIGH QUALITY IRRIGATION WATER SUPPLY. THEREFORE, TREATMENT AND REUSE OF AGRICULTURE WASTEWATER FOR IRRIGATION AND OTHER AGRICULTURE APPLICATIONS IS PARTICULARLY ATTRACTIVE AS IT REDUCES THE IMPACT OF AGRICULTURE ON WATER QUALITY WHILE REDUCING FRESHWATER USE. CURRENTLY, IRRIGATION DRAINAGE IS EITHER DISCHARGED INTO SURFACE WATER, OR COLLECTED IN LARGE EVAPORATION PONDS, BOTH CAUSING A MYRIAD OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS.ONE IMPORTANT CHALLENGE IN THE TREATMENT OF THESE ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES IS THE NEED TO REMOVE SALTS, I.E., DESALINATION, WHICH IS HIGHLY ENERGY INTENSIVE AND EXPENSIVE IF USING EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES. IRRIGATION USING ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES WILL ONLY BE A VIABLE SOLUTION IF THE ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND TOTAL COSTS FOR DESALINATION OF THE VARIOUS ALTERNATIVE IRRIGATION WATER SOURCES CAN BE GREATLY REDUCED. SOLMEM'S SOLARMEMD TECHNOLOGY CAN DESALINATE SALINE STREAMS WITH A WIDE RANGE OF TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (TDS) SUCH AS IRRIGATION DRAINAGE WATER HIGHLY EFFICIENTLY, USING SUNLIGHT AS THE ENERGY SOURCE. ITS LOW ELECTRICAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND LOW CAPITAL COSTS RESULT IN A LEVELIZED COST OF WATER SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN EXISTING TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES, MAKING IT ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE TO UTILIZE LOCALLY AVAILABLE ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES FOR AGRICULTURE IRRIGATION.SOLAR DESALINATION CAN HELP SOLVE WATER SHORTAGES IN A SUSTAINABLE MANNER, WHILE MINIMIZING CONTAMINATION IN WATER MANAGEMENT AND FOOD PRODUCTION. IN SUMMARY, OUR TECHNOLOGY BRINGS THE FOLLOWING BENIFITS:1) IT CAN IMPROVE FARMING ACTIVITY AND PROFITABILITY BY IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF SOIL AND IRRIGATION WATER. ACCUMULATION OF SALTS IN IRRIGATION WATER AND SOIL IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THREATENING PRODUCTIVITY OF IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IN MANY AREAS IN THE US. THE SOLARMEMD PROCESS EFFECTIVELY REMOVES TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (TDS) OR SALINITY, AS WELL AS OTHER CONTAMINANTS (E.G., ARSENIC, SELENATE AND BORON) FROM IRRIGATION DRAINAGE WATER OR OTHER ALTERNATIVE IRRIGATION WATER SOURCES USING SOLAR ENERGY. THIS CAN PREVENT SALTS IN THE IRRIGATION WATER FROM ACCUMULATING IN SOIL OR CONTAMINATING SURFACE WATER IN AGRICULTURAL AREAS THROUGH DISCHARGE OF IRRIGATION DRAINAGE WATER, MAKING IT AN ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE SOLUTION TO FARMLAND SALT MANAGEMENT. IT ALSO KEEPS OTHER CONTAMINANTS BELOW TOXIC THRESHOLDS FOR HIGH CROP PRODUCTION AND PREVENTS CONTAMINANT ACCUMULATION THROUGH THE FOOD CHAIN. 2) IT EQUIPS FARMERS AS WELL AS LOCAL AND REGIONAL WATER AGENCIES WITH A COST-EFFECTIVE METHOD TO COMBAT SEVERE DROUGHTS BY ENABLING REUSE OF IRRIGATION DRAINAGE WATER AND OTHER ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES AT A LOW COST USING RENEWABLE ENERGY. THIS WILL GREATLY REDUCE THE UNCERTAINTY IN FARM PRODUCTIVITY CAUSED BY INCREASINGLY UNPREDICTABLE PRECIPITATION PATTERNS RESULTING FROM GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE. 3) IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SOLARMEMD TECHNOLOGY CAN REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF AGRICULTURE BY REDUCING ITS WATER FOOTPRINT AND LOWERING THE LOAD OF CONTAMINANTS IN AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF. USING ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES REDUCES FRESHWATER WITHDRAWAL FOR AGRICULTURE, THE LARGEST WATER USER AMONG ALL SECTORS. THIS HELPS RELIEVE WATER RESOURCE-RELATED CONFLICTS IN WATER STRESSED AREAS. TREATMENT AND REUSE OF IRRIGATION DRAINAGE WATER AND SURFACE RUNOFF ALSO REDUCES THE DISCHARGE OF CONTAMINANTS, E.G., FERTILIZERS, PESTICIDES, AND HERBICIDES INTO SURFACE WATER BODIES, AND ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR LARGE EVAPORATION PONDS, AVOIDING THEIR NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS (E.G., HARM TO WATERFOWLS) WHILE RECLAIMING THE LANDS USED FOR FARMING.