scholarly journals Economic assessment of an integrated drainage management system for a regional irrigation-drainage network

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 799-807
Author(s):  
Dimitris Gotsis ◽  
Spyros Giakoumakis
Keyword(s):  
Net Present Value ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Drainage Network ◽  
Irrigation Drainage ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Tolerance To Salinity

Abstract The disposal of the excessive volume of degraded water coming from agricultural drainage systems is a serious environmental and economic issue, since a significant load of agrochemicals and salts contaminates water bodies downstream. An integrated on-farm drainage management (IFDM) system is an effective method of treatment by successively irrigating zones with drainage water. Each zone is cultivated with crops that have increasing tolerance to salinity, so that the drainage water effluents are minimized to an extent that the final drainage water volume is collected into an evaporation pond. The methodology of the system is proposed herein for a regional irrigation-drainage network (E1 in Agoulinitsa irrigation district in western Greece) as a method of reducing the disposal of agrochemicals in the coastal environment. Based on the design principles of an IFDM system, both the surface area of every irrigation zone and the costs of installing and operating the system are assessed. A scenario regarding the volume of drainage water that must be treated is examined as a sensitivity analysis. The results show that almost 15% of the cultivated area must be bounded for non-productive uses, resulting in a significant economic impact on the net present value of the investment.

scholarly journals Policy-Driven Sustainable Saline Drainage Disposal and Forage Production in the Western San Joaquin Valley of California

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6362
Author(s):  
Amninder Singh ◽  
Nigel W. T. Quinn ◽  
Sharon E. Benes ◽  
Florence Cassel
Keyword(s):  
Root Zone ◽  
Subsurface Drainage ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Tall Wheatgrass ◽  
San Joaquin River ◽  
Agricultural Drainage Water ◽  
Irrigation Drainage ◽  
Root Zone Salinity

Environmental policies to address water quality impairments in the San Joaquin River of California have focused on the reduction of salinity and selenium-contaminated subsurface agricultural drainage loads from westside sources. On 31 December 2019, all of the agricultural drainage from a 44,000 ha subarea on the western side of the San Joaquin River basin was curtailed. This policy requires the on-site disposal of all of the agricultural drainage water in perpetuity, except during flooding events, when emergency drainage to the River is sanctioned. The reuse of this saline agricultural drainage water to irrigate forage crops, such as ‘Jose’ tall wheatgrass and alfalfa, in a 2428 ha reuse facility provides an economic return on this pollutant disposal option. Irrigation with brackish water requires careful management to prevent salt accumulation in the crop root zone, which can impact forage yields. The objective of this study was to optimize the sustainability of this reuse facility by maximizing the evaporation potential while achieving cost recovery. This was achieved by assessing the spatial and temporal distribution of the root zone salinity in selected fields of ‘Jose’ tall wheatgrass and alfalfa in the drainage reuse facility, some of which have been irrigated with brackish subsurface drainage water for over fifteen years. Electromagnetic soil surveys using an EM-38 instrument were used to measure the spatial variability of the salinity in the soil profile. The tall wheatgrass fields were irrigated with higher salinity water (1.2–9.3 dS m−1) compared to the fields of alfalfa (0.5–6.5 dS m−1). Correspondingly, the soil salinity in the tall wheatgrass fields was higher (12.5 dS m−1–19.3 dS m−1) compared to the alfalfa fields (8.97 dS m−1–14.4 dS m−1) for the years 2016 and 2017. Better leaching of salts was observed in the fields with a subsurface drainage system installed (13–1 and 13–2). The depth-averaged root zone salinity data sets are being used for the calibration of the transient hydro-salinity computer model CSUID-ID (a one-dimensional version of the Colorado State University Irrigation Drainage Model). This user-friendly decision support tool currently provides a useful framework for the data collection needed to make credible, field-scale salinity budgets. In time, it will provide guidance for appropriate leaching requirements and potential blending decisions for sustainable forage production. This paper shows the tie between environmental drainage policy and the role of local governance in the development of sustainable irrigation practices, and how well-directed collaborative field research can guide future resource management.

scholarly journals Techno-Economic Assessment of On-Farm Anaerobic Digestion System Using Attached-Biofilm Reactor in the Dairy Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2063
Author(s):  
Jia Boh Tan ◽  
Nur Syakina Jamali ◽  
Wei En Tan ◽  
Hasfalina Che Man ◽  
Zurina Zainal Abidin
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Kinetic Studies ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Biofilm Reactor ◽  
Cow Manure ◽  
Total Carbohydrate ◽  
Projection Model ◽  
Biogas Yield ◽  
On Farm

In this study, a techno-economic assessment of an on-farm biogas system using an anaerobic biofilm reactor utilizing cow manure as a fermentation substrate was evaluated. A projection model was developed using Microsoft Excel software with three outputs, the size and dimension of a bioreactor, experimental microbial kinetic studies, and the economic studies based on the experimental results. Characterization analysis of cow manure wastewater showed the total solid (TS), total volatile solid (TVS), total carbohydrate (TC), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and pH values which were 10.95 g/L, 8.65 g/L, 6.65 g/L, 57.80 g/L, and 7, respectively. Using the modified Gompertz equation for the microbial studies, it was found that, at 37 °C and 20 days hydraulic retention time (HRT), the biogas yield was 934.54 mL/gVS, the volume of biogas produced was 11.28 m3/d, and 22.56 kWh of electricity was generated. The Gompertz prediction helps to determine the optimal HRT for the system so that the microorganisms are at their optimum stage to produce biogas. The economic analysis was done, and the results illustrated that, when the rate of cow manure produced was at 55 L/day.cow, the net present value (NPV) was RM 611,936.09, with a 13% internal rate of return (IRR), 0.14 return on investment (ROI), and 7.02 years of payback period (PP). By developing a techno-economic assessment that included all the necessary parameters such as sizing of the bioreactor, microbial kinetic studies, and economics of the plant, farmers could easily implement the system into their farms. This model showed that the anaerobic digestion system utilizing an attached biofilm with cow manure as a fermentation inoculum and substrate was applicable on an industrial scale to generate electricity and reutilize to the farm, at the same time generating additional income from the production of fertilizer.

Nature of uranium contamination in the agricultural drainage water evaporation ponds of the San Joaquin Valley, California, USA

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine C. Duff ◽  
C. Amrhein ◽  
G. Bradford
Keyword(s):  
Drainage Water ◽  
San Joaquin Valley ◽  
Water Evaporation ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Wetting And Drying ◽  
Evaporation Ponds ◽  
High Carbonate ◽  
Water Disposal ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
Irrigation Drainage

Evaporation ponds used for agricultural subsurface drainage water disposal in the Tulare Lake Bed (TLB) of the San Joaquin Valley, California, USA, have elevated levels of U. Waterfowl which inhabit and forage the ponds and surrounding areas are threatened by exposure to U. The ponds, which receive irrigation drainage waters and seasonal rain, are subject to wetting and drying periods. The periods result in the accumulation of decaying algae and other organic material in surface sediments. Sediment and waters in the ponds were sampled to determine what factors control U solubility and sediment U concentrations. Data from a 1990 study conducted by Chilcott et al. in 1989 on the TLB ponds were used to help identify what factors may control U solubility. Pond sediment U concentrations decreased abruptly with depth and surface sediment U concentrations were related to dissolved Ca:HCO3 ratios. Pond algal U bioaccumulation was favored in waters with high Ca:HCO3 ratios, which had lower pH values and carbonate alkalinities than waters with low Ca:HCO3 ratios. Ponds with high salinities and high carbonate alkalinities contained the highest aqueous U concentrations relative to other TLB ponds. Sediment total organic carbon (TOC) was correlated with sediment U concentrations, suggesting that U is bound to organic matter. The source of TOC is most likely from algae deposition. Key words: Uranium, salinity, redox potential, carbonate alkalinity, bioaccumulation, algae

scholarly journals Techno-Economic Assessment of Coal-Fired Power Unit Decarbonization Retrofit with KP-FHR Small Modular Reactors

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2557
Author(s):  
Łukasz Bartela ◽  
Paweł Gładysz ◽  
Charalampos Andreades ◽  
Staffan Qvist ◽  
Janusz Zdeb
Keyword(s):  
Net Present Value ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Plant Design ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
Small Modular Reactors ◽  
Greenfield Investments ◽  
Unit Design ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Economic Analyses ◽  
The Eu

The near and mid-term future of the existing Polish coal-fired power fleet is uncertain. The longer-term operation of unabated coal power is incompatible with climate policy and is economically challenging because of the increasing price of CO2 emission allowances in the EU. The results of the techno-economic analysis presented in this paper indicate that the retrofit of existing coal-fired units, by means of replacing coal-fired boilers with small modular reactors, may be an interesting option for the Polish energy sector. It has been shown that the retrofit can reduce the costs in relation to greenfield investments by as much as 35%. This analysis focuses on the repowering of a 460 MW supercritical coal-fired unit based on the Łagisza power plant design with high temperature small modular nuclear reactors based on the 320 MWth unit design by Kairos Power. The technical analyses did not show any major difficulties in integrating. The economic analyses show that the proposed retrofits can be economically justified, and, in this respect, they are more advantageous than greenfield investments. For the base economic scenario, the difference in NPV (Net Present Value) is more favorable for the retrofit by 556.9 M€ and the discounted payback period for this pathway is 10 years.

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