Simple gas chlorination of micro irrigation systems
1991
Austen, J. (Dore and Pitt, Harare (Zimbabwe))
The paper discusses micro irrigation systems. Micro irrigation is good for effeciency in water consumption, energy consumption and plant growth. Clogging occurs from particles carried in irrigation water becoming trapped in the small orifices of 1mm diameter or less employed in micro irrigation systems. These particles have three basic aspects: physical, chemical, biological or a combination of these aspects. Physical aspects involve dead plant material, soil particles and flakes of rusted metal. Chemical and biological aspects involve solids in the water such as calcium carbonate and iron and these may clog up emitters; algae and bacteria present in the water forming a mass to clog the system respectively. Chemical aspects and biological aspects create a problem not controllable by filtration. Iron deposits may cause a loss in pressure to the sprinkler system. It may be solved by pushing a "rabbit" through the pipeline to clear the deposits. However in a micro irrigation system it can totally plug up the emitters. The paper goes on to give solutions to the problems - aeration to oxidize the iron and this will involve the construction of a reservoir and double pumping and chlorination to kill bacteria. A fear among irrigators about the use of chlorine is the potential damage it may do to the crop. Chlorination of irrigation water is an effective way of controlling iron bacteria and other chemical-biological clogging problems in micro irrigation systems.
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