Environmental assessment of underdrain designs for a sand media filter
dc.contributor.author
dc.date.accessioned
2024-02-01T09:09:17Z
dc.date.available
2024-02-01T09:09:18Z
dc.date.issued
2018-03
dc.identifier.issn
1537-5110
dc.identifier.uri
dc.description.abstract
Increasing energy demand is the main problem linked with the adoption of more efficient irrigation techniques, particularly microirrigation. In microirrigation systems, important pressure losses and therefore energy consumption, occur at the filters, which are a key component in preventing emitter clogging. Previous studies have shown that the main pressure drop across sand media filters, which are widely used in microirrigation, occurs in the underdrain elements. To minimise this problem, new underdrains should be designed but an issue is how their environmental impact can be reduced. Two alternative design strategies were found: firstly, keeping the original filter dimensions and reducing energy consumption during operation by 30%; and, secondly, reducing filter size and reducing construction material by 25% but keeping the original pressure losses. A life cycle assessment transforming environmental effects into monetary values was carried out comparing a commercial sand filter with the two filters designed following the two aforementioned strategies. Results show that both alternatives reduce the environmental impact of the sand commercial filter. Reduction of filter size is the optimum strategy if filtered volumes are below 63,000 m3 along the filter life, while reduction of energy consumption was the best alternative for higher filtered volumes. This work shows the usefulness of life cycle assessment for assessing design strategies that could improve the sustainability of microirrigation equipment
dc.format.extent
11 p.
dc.format.mimetype
application/pdf
dc.language.iso
eng
dc.publisher
Elsevier
dc.relation.isformatof
Versió postprint del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2018.01.005
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© Biosystems Engineering, 2018, vol. 167, p. 126-136
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Articles publicats (D-EQATA)
dc.rights
Reconeixement-NoComercial-SenseObraDerivada 4.0 Internacional
dc.rights.uri
dc.source
Bové Masmiquel, Josep Pujol Planella, Joan Arbat Pujolràs, Gerard Duran i Ros, Miquel Ramírez de Cartagena Bisbe, Francisco Puig Bargués, Jaume 2018 Environmental assessment of underdrain designs for a sand media filter Biosystems Engineering 167 126 136
dc.title
Environmental assessment of underdrain designs for a sand media filter
dc.type
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.rights.accessRights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.type.version
info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
dc.identifier.doi
dc.identifier.idgrec
027927
dc.type.peerreviewed
peer-reviewed
dc.identifier.eissn
1537-5129