Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering A 1 (2012) 1096-1100
Formerly part of Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering, ISSN 1934-8932
The Possibility of Agricultural Drainage Water Reuse in Agricultural Project
Omar Asad Ahmad and Mohamed A. Al Rawashdeh
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technical Engineering, Zarqa University, Zarqa 13132, Jordan Received: January 12, 2012 / Accepted: August 29, 2012 / Published: September 20, 2012.
Abstract: Agricultural drainage water in Ashkada-Barak agricultural project is a major source of wasted water, which amount to about 35 million liters per day. This huge sum of wasted water cause a formation of pools around the area and therefore a lot of environmental problems such as the proliferation of mosquitoes, and other health problems, while it can be reuse in a variety purposes such as agriculture, fish farming and drinking, so the goal of this research is to study quality of water and determine its suitability. Different samples were taken over a period of year for testing the most important elements of which were estimated concentrations of nitrate, nitrite and ammonia. The results show a presence of high concentrations of nitrogen compounds in studied water. Temperature had been identified as environmental factor dynamically controlled the process of nitrification.
Key words: Drainage water, wasted, suitability, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, environmental factor, reuse.
1. Introduction๏
At global level agriculture represent 65% of total used water, withdrawn from rivers, lakes and aquifers for use in human activities [1]. The expansion of irrigation system or drainage led to increase of irrigation water use more than actual needs for the plantโs, rising surface water and consequent problems of salinity, especially when water level near the surface, or stagnation of a part of the irrigation water above the ground, which requires drainage or it can led to plant damage [2]. Here it is clear that the process of drainage is the other side of the process of irrigation. The result undoubtedly reflects the use of an irrigation network, thus the amount of drainage fluctuate from year to year, but it represents a high percentage of total irrigation water, where the volume of wastewater, on average, about 15.47 billion m3 during the period from 1964 to 1972, representing approximately 50.7% of the average amount of
Corresponding author: Omar Asad Ahmad, assistant professor, Ph.D., main research fields: water quality, water treatment and reuse, environmental engineering, natural resources. E-mail: [email protected].
irrigation during the same period of about 30.46 billion m3 per year [3].In this issue it should be noted that a large amount of waste water that flow throughout to seas and lakes estimated about 13.87 billion m3 annually, which can be reused after mixing with fresh water, according to the degree of suitability for irrigation purposes [ . Groundwater exploitation 4] is the most important issues, especially for countries that desert area make up a large percentage, such as Libya ][ , in which requires the ways to invest every 5 drop, and so the problem of water management is the most important problems confronting Libya in general and south part in particular, and consequent needs for food production and preservation of the environment, especially when reports indicate that there was a evident decline of groundwater level in the study area, at annual rates ranged between 0.3 m/year to 3.06 m/year, and up to 1.02 m/year, which is attributable for the withdrawal of the continuous guide for agricultural use, which requires the need to find tools to preserve this important resource.
Ground and surface water containing nitrate ions (NO3
-) and nitrite (NO2
-) at average ion concentrations
DAVID PUBLISHING
D
of nitrate (NO3
-) in fresh uncontaminated surface water less than 45 mg/L, while the ion nitrite were less 0.005 mg/L, and where in groundwater nitrate concentration rises to high levels up to 50 mg/L depending on the rocks type, and it is rarely the presence of nitrite ion ][ . Typically, when noted a 6 high concentration of nitrite in surface or groundwater, it is reflect the occurrence of contamination from sewage or industrial activity, also the presence of high concentrations of ion nitrite indicates to the possibility of mold partially or completely of water under anaerobic conditions. Pollution of nitrate ion (NO3-
) usually resulted at indiscriminately a huge usage of chemical fertilizers such as urea and ammonium nitrate as well as the use of sewage and industrial wastewater in agricultural without a necessary treatment, and the sources of contamination by nitrate, nitrite and nitrogen oxides can also arise through many of industrial and chemical processes, resulted in either dissolved material or nitrogen gases that soluble in water, even in the rain under the influence of climatic conditions it has become to acid rain [ . 7]
A low concentrations of nitrates are vital for human body, where the most important functions is absorbed by the salivary glands, which produces saliva rich nitrate ion necessary to break food into most basic compounds. High concentration of nitrite in the human body has a negative impact for two reasons:
first, nitrite is able to reduction hemoglobin to a compound Metomoglobin, and cause deficiency of oxygen; second, under particular chemical conditions, nitrite ion may react with amides in the human body and converted into compounds Nitrozoamines which have carcinogenic effects [ . 5]
2. The Goal of the Study
Agricultural drainage water in Ashkada-Barak agricultural project is a major source of wasted water, which amount to about 35 million liters per day. This huge sum of wasted water cause a formation of pools around the area and therefore a lot of environmental
problems such the proliferation of mosquitoes, and other health problems, while it can be reuse in a variety purposes such as agriculture, fish farming and drinking, so the goal of this research is to study quality of water and determine its suitability.
Wadi-Alshati located in the south-west of Libya in the northern part of the Fezzan party north of Murzuq basin, with a surface area about 5,440 km2, and it is characterized by an abundance of groundwater and intensive agricultural activity, and where Ashkada-Barak agricultural project located at latitudes 27ยฐ-29ยฐ to the north and longitude 14ยฐ-15ยฐ to the east.
3. Materials and Methods
Samples were collected from agricultural drainage over one year to study the effect of temperature on water contents of nitrogen compounds. Concentration of nitrite ion measured colorimetric method at pH 2-2.5 by adding sulfanilamide and naphthyl-ethylenediamine solution to the sample, the color can be measured at wavelength 535 nm.
Ammonia in contaminated water with low concentration was determined using Nessler reagent, which is a solution of alkali K2HgI4, brown a reddish color in the presence of ammonia, and sample should be treated by using Nesslerโs solution to eliminate ions which can cause turbidity, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, etc., and this treatment is performed using zinc sulphate and alkaline solution N NaOH 5 and EDTA will prevent the precipitation of any residues of the calcium, magnesium and iron [ . 8]
4. Discussion
The results (Table 1 and Fig. 1) found that concentration of nitrate in most samples was above the allowable limit, which is 45 mg/L (Table 1), and the highest concentrations of nitrate was at beginning of site (1) downstream in the sample No. 8 June, reaching 103.8 mg/L, this indicates the use of large amounts of nitrogen fertilizers, as well as the presence of organic materials residues. The water contains high
Table 1 Concentration of NO3- in study area
NO3- (mg/L)
Beginning End
Lake Date
Sample
60 81
42 November
1
95 78
16.7 December
2
46 54
12.9 January
3
48.71 55.35
11.07 February
4
44.8 39.19
11.35 March
5
68.64 59.78
21.7 April
6
102 84
70 May
7
103.8 96.8
88 June
8
Fig. 1 Nitrate concentrations in water samples.
concentration above 45 mg/L of nitrate is contaminated and invalid for use for domestic purposes, and this high concentration of nitrate affect plants if this water used for agricultural purposes without treatment ][ , it affects critical functions 9 including photosynthesis [10]. Presence of large amounts of nitrates cause plants damage and become unable to carry harsh environmental conditions such as heavy rain and strong winds and can negatively reflected on the animals that feed on the plants that contain large amounts of nitrate [10, 11], In this case, humans and animals exposed to biological damage due to non-protein nitrogen, and did not observe any significant differences in the concentration of nitrates compared to beginning and end of downstream (Table 1 and Fig. 1). The results showed that a nitrate not present in Ashkada site and was within or less than the allowable concentration ranging from 11.07 mg/L to 42 mg/L during the period from November to April, In May and June concentration of nitrate was increased to reach 88 mg/L in June, which indicates
excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers urea in particular, leading to contamination of lake water. Ammonium, nitrate and nitrite salts appear in water through degradation of proteins compounds, which entering through sewage, industrial and nitrogen fertilizers, especially during winter when the consumption of plants to water a little and leaking into groundwater.
From the obtained results (Table 2 and Fig. 2) during the study period, the concentration of nitrite was less than allowable limit 1.0 mg/L and this indicates that over time contamination become in the form of nitrate, this can occur by transformation of nitrite to nitrate. The higher value was at beginning of downstream in March to reached 0.184 mg/L, but at the end of downstream the highest concentration was in February and reached 0.184 mg/L, while at site lake Ashkada the highest value was in December, It reached 0.47 mg/L due to oxidation of nitrite to nitrate after a long time on pollution.
The results (Table 3 and Fig. 3) shows that concentration of ammonium at the of the site
Jun.
May Apr Mar.
Jan. Feb.
Dec.
Nov.
NO3- (ppm) 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Beginning End Lake
Table 2 Concentration of NO2- in study area.
NO2 (mg/L) Sample
Beginning End
Lake Date
0.092 0.092
0.3 November
1
0.17 0.15
0.47 December
2
0.127 0.05
0.092 January
3
0.138 0.184
0.092 February
4
0.184 0.07
0.12 March
5
0.092 0.138
0.092 April
6
0.11 0.14
0.09 May
7
0.138 0.184
0.115 June
8
Fig. 2 Nitrite concentrations in water samples.
Table 3 Concentration of NH4+
in study area.
NH4+
(mg/L) Sample
Beginning End
Lake Date
0.34 0.49
1.37 November
1
0.29 0.20
1.1 December
2
nd nd
0.43 January
3
nd nd
nd February
4
nd nd
0.41 March
5
nd nd
0.77 April
6
nd nd
0.98 May
7
nd nd
1.8 June
8
nd = not detected.
Fig. 3 Ammonium concentrations in water samples.
Ammonium conc. in drange water Jun May Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Conc. of NH4 (ppm) 2.0 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0
0.0
Sample location Beggining of stream
End of stream Lake 0.2
0.4 0.6 0.8
Conc. of NO2 in the water drange Jun.
May Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Conc. of NO2 (ppm)
0.0
Beginning of drange End of drange Lake .1
.1 .1 .1
.0 .1 .5
.3
.2 .1 .1
.1 .2
.1 .2
.1
.1 .1 .1
.2 .1 .1
.2
.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Beginning and end of downstream less than the allowable limit 0.5 mg/L, and the highest value at the site of beginning of downstream 0.34 mg/L in November while at the site of end of the downstream the highest value was 0.49 mg/L in November, either at the site of Ashkada Lake ammonium concentration was higher than the allowable limit which was the highest value in June amounted to 1.80 mg/L, this indicates the appearance a pollution by ammonium compounds and over time will become into nitrite and finally to nitrate pollution.
The presence of contaminants as nitrogen compounds in agricultural drainage water indicates the excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers, if the pollution recently, nitrogen will be in form of ammonia [12, 13], but if nitrite present with ammonia, this means that the pollution has occurred from the period [14]. Presence nitrate contamination related with two types of bacteria, first type nitrite bacteria that oxidize NH4
+ rapidly to nitrous acid, while the second type that oxidize nitrite in the presence of oxygen to nitrate [15].
5. Conclusions
The agriculture drainage water had high nitrogen concentration that need to be removed. It recommended to use drainage water after treatment and to encourage reducing depletion of underground water reserves. Agricultural drainage water can be used in fish farming or reuse in agriculture. Reduction of nitrogen fertilizers and demonstrate the seriousness of the indiscriminate use. The project requires intensive studies from other environmental aspects.
Disseminating the importance of groundwater not be wasted and find ways to take advantage of the treated water.
Acknowledgment
This research is funded by the Deanship of Research and Graduate Studies in Zarqa University/Jordan.
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