Open hydroponic systems are widely present in the European modern agriculture. However, in open hydroponic systems drainages are released into the environment. The drainages are composed by 31% of nitrates, and 48% of potassium applied as fertilizers, with the concomitant pollution and eutrophication of land and water. As an alternative to open hydroponic systems, a full re-circulation system , also known as closed system, have been developed in The Netherlands, but the percentage of producers that use it in their greenhouses in the rest of Europe is very low manily because these systems need to be specifically designed and adjusted to the specific conditions where production is taken place. For that reason the aim of the present project is to demonstrate the feasibility of using a full re-circulation systems for soilless culture in the Euro-Mediterranean region, where more than the 60% of Greenhouse production takes place.This aim will be achieved through a modular and scalable pilot system, easily adaptable to most of the agricultural scenarios in south Europe by just modifying the capacity of their components. The demonstration of a pilot system at a 1:10 scale becomes necessary for identifying potential problems, costs, energy consumption, optimization of key steps and software depuration. The system will be dimensioned as a function of the volume of drainages per day that needs to be recirculated.
The aim of the project will be achieved through the next specific objectives:
- To demonstrate through the design, construction and set up of a full re-circulation pilot system the technological possibility for Euro-Mediterranean regions of drainage reuse. The pilot system will be assayed in tomato plants, one of the most economically important and extended crop in south Europe.
The pilot system proposed here will be able to collect the drainages coming from the normal irrigation of the tomato plantation, to disinfect them and to adjust the nutrient concentration, pH and electrical conductivity with the purpose of making drainages re-usable for a new irrigation cycle.
- To propose a legal and regulatory framework for drainage recirculation to Euro-Mediterranean
regulatory bodies
- To disseminate to all interested stakeholders, the benefits of full recirculation systems as an
environmental friendly solution for drainage release of hydroponic greenhouses.
Project results:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=5283
The main result would be the demonstration of the feasibility of the transformation of open
soilless production farms into close soilless production farms. The following results for the
pilot are expected:
• 1.700 m3 of water per ha per year reused (19.040 tomato plants/ha x 1l/tomato plant/day =19.04 m3/ha/day x 30% drainage on average = 5.7m3/ha/day x 300 days of crop/year)
• 165.000 Kg crop production/ha that represents no reduction of production or quality respect to
open soilless cycle.
• 30-46 Kg crop production/m3 water (which represents an increase in Water Use Efficiency of 20-
50%)
• 35% of saving of Nitrogen fertilizer used per ha.
• 20% of saving of Phosphorus fertilizer used per ha.
• 17% of saving of Potassium fertilizer used per ha.
This results will reduce the operating costs of the production farms, demonstrating the feasibility of close soilless systems in the South of Europe.
Also, environmental enrichment and protection is expected. The amount of fertilizers not drained to the environment, are not only translated into euros, but also into less contamination and higher protection of the aquifers and ecological niches avoiding eutrophication. The following results are expected:
• 0 m3 water/year drainages
• 0 Kg N/ha/year release
• 0 Kg P/ha/year release
• 0 Kg K/ha/year release
With the previous results, the Project will generate real data to propose a legal and regulatory
framework for drainage recirculation to Euro-Mediterranean regulatory bodies and Policy Makers. The regulatory framework will allow the develop of specific regulations and laws to encourage producers to transform open producing systems into closed recirculating systems. (Regional Policy Maker are already interested and supporting the project).
Project partners:
Centro de Edafologia y Biologia Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS-CSIC)
Federación de Cooperativas Agrarias de Murcia (FECOAM)
RIEGOS Y TECNOLOGIA S.L.
Universidad de Murcia