Exploratory ranking analysis of brackish groundwater desalination for sustainable agricultural production: A case study of the Arava Valley in Israel

Abstract

Management of environmental resources presents challenges across agricultural production. In the case of the semi-arid region of Arava Valley in Israel irrigation with groundwater brackish water is a widespread practice that has severe limitations. In this research studies are taking place for brackish groundwater upgrading for unrestricted use for irrigation and sustainable agricultural production. The treatment system applies two main treatment stages: nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membrane process and, the pilot system with the capacity of around 1 m3/h. Different mixtures of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis, Brackish and potable permeates are then applied for irrigation of pepper crops.The field results together with the graphical visualization approach using Hasse diagram technique show that the conventional brackish feed water produces good revenue about fruit weight, fruit diameter, and fruit length. A membrane treatment using nanofiltration and reverse osmosis yields an increase in production (more fruit number). Extension of the research at the field level may aid to optimize irrigation use strategy to increase the food production.