Effect and Mechanism of Micro-Nano Aeration Treatment on a Drip Irrigation Emitter Based on Groundwater

Rui Li, Qibiao Han, Conghui Dong, Xi Nan, Hao Li, Hao Sun, Hui Li, Peng Li and Yawei Hu ()
Additional contact information
Rui Li: Henan Key Laboratory of Ecological Environment Protection and Restoration of Yellow River Basin, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Qibiao Han: Henan Key Laboratory of Ecological Environment Protection and Restoration of Yellow River Basin, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Conghui Dong: Institute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453002, China
Xi Nan: Academy of Agricultural Planning and Engineering, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100125, China
Hao Li: Institute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453002, China
Hao Sun: Institute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453002, China
Hui Li: Institute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453002, China
Peng Li: Institute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453002, China
Yawei Hu: Henan Key Laboratory of Ecological Environment Protection and Restoration of Yellow River Basin, Zhengzhou 450003, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: The problem of emitter clogging has become the main obstacle restricting the application and promotion of drip irrigation technology. Studying the process of emitter clogging helps improve irrigation efficiency and save water resources. A large number of researchers have tried to solve the problem of emitter clogging from many perspectives. However, the influence of micro-nano bubbles as well as generated blockage on the clogging process of drip irrigation systems is less studied. Here, the influence of aeration on emitter clogging was studied by adding micro-nano bubbles to groundwater. Four different emitters were selected. Two treatments, micro-nano aeration and non-aeration, were set up, with a total of eight sets of experiments, running for 1500 h. The degree of emitter clogging was quantitatively characterized using the discharge ratio variation (Dra). The Christiansen uniformity coefficient ( Cu ) and statistical uniformity coefficient ( Us ) were used to evaluate the influence of emitter clogging on the performance of the drip irrigation system. Compared with the non-aeration treatment group, the Dra of aerated E1–E4 decreased by 64.74%, 54.22%, 64.20%, and 94.69% in 800 h, respectively. At the same time, the Us of the aerated E1–E4 decreased by 100%, 60.05%, 92.32%, and 100%, while the Cu of aerated E1–E4 decreased by 76.64%, 53.79%, 74.11%, and 100% compared with the unaerated group. The Cu and Us of all emitters under the aeration treatment were smaller than those comparison group. As for the blockage, the main components were typical physical blockage SiO 2 and chemical blockage CaCO 3 . Most of the blockages in the non-aeration treatment group are 5–10 μm in length, while those in the aerated treatment group were generally less than 5 μm. Aeration treatment made the blockage more broken and dense and more likely to accumulate in the flow channel, obstructing the flow of water and thus intensifying the clogging process. As a result, micro-nano aeration treatment increased the risk of emitter clogging, accelerated the development of blockage in the emitter, and disturbed the uniformity of the entire drip irrigation system. This study provides a reference idea for solving the problem of blockage in drip irrigation systems.

Keywords: drip irrigation; emitter clogging; blockage; composition; average flow ratio; micro-nano bubbles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/11/2059/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/11/2059/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:11:p:2059-:d:1268561

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().