Given the current uncertainty about the availability of water resources and the high water consumption by agriculture, there is an unquestionable need to reclaim water for reuse in agriculture, making reuse one of the best strategies for making progress in adapting to the effects of climate change.
Wastewater is the only water resource available over time as domestic populations, as well as industrial transformation processes, consume high volumes of water on a daily basis, producing a significant amount of it.
In May 2020, new European legislation was approved to regulate the reuse of reclaimed water for agricultural irrigation, as a mechanism to adapt to the consequences of climate change. Although reclaimed wastewater must meet the quality and disinfection standards set for each type of crop, its use for irrigation requires specific knowledge and technologies.
AZUD researches and develops a wide range of innovative solutions to improve the environmental impact of water consumption. Reuse is the best way to move towards a circular use of water and to ensure access to this vital resource.
The use of Surface Drip Irrigation (SDI) is recommended as it has a number of advantages over the use of reclaimed water. The most important is that the water, as it is dosed underground, is not in direct contact with the crop and with people, making it the irrigation system that provides the greatest health guarantee for consumers.
At AZUD we apply our knowledge to reclaim water using the latest technologies. We research and develop a wide range of innovative solutions to improve the environmental impact of water consumption. Reuse is the best way to move towards a circular use of water and to ensure access to this vital resource.
The use of subsurface drip irrigation is recommended as it provides many benefits with the use of reclaimed water. The most important thing is that the water, as it is dosed underground, is not in direct contact with the crop and with people, making it the irrigation system that offers the greatest health guarantee to consumers.
The difficulty in the application of localised irrigation derives from the clogging potential and proliferation capacity of the solids contained in the water, making filtration systems and the specific design and management of the installations and their maintenance fundamental.
This extensive experience has enabled us to develop, for example, innovative disc filtration equipment with a self-cleaning system using a mixture of water and pressurised air, specifically designed for water with a high organic pollutant load. This system generates much more rigorous cleaning to remove all types of contaminants from the filter medium, allowing a reduction of up to 80% in cleaning water consumption.
The correct hydraulic design of the irrigation network guarantees the spatial uniformity of water supply, but it is the quality of the dripper and its anti-clogging design that will guarantee temporal uniformity, i.e. that the homogeneity of irrigation is maintained throughout the system’s life cycle. The innovative AZUD drippers incorporate the DS TECHNOLOGY labyrinth, whose design helps to prevent the sedimentation of particles and at the same time favours the self-cleaning effect.
