Total Water Production Research Articles

MODELLING AND FORECASTING WATER PRODUCTIVITY IN MOROCCO BY MEANS OF STOCHASTIC VASICEK MODEL

We study a stochastic homogeneous Vasicek diffusion process, and determine its characteristics, such as the analytical expression and the trend functions. By using the maximum likelihood approach based on discrete sampling, we estimate parameters and trend functions. To evaluate the capability of this process, we use simulated sample paths of the model and examine the goodness of fit. Finally, we apply the process to fit and predict the total water productivity in Morocco.

Increasing Hybrid Rice Yield, Water Productivity, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency: Optimization Strategies for Irrigation and Fertilizer Management.

Water and fertilizer are crucial in rice growth, with irrigation and fertilizer management exhibiting synergies. In a two-year field study conducted in Yiyang City, Hunan Province, we examined the impact of three irrigation strategies-wet-shallow irrigation (W1), flooding irrigation (W2), and the "thin, shallow, wet, dry irrigation" method (W3)-in combination with distinct fertilizer treatments (labeled F1, F2, F3, and F4, with nitrogen application rates of 0, 180, 225, and 270 kg ha-1, respectively) on rice yield generation and water-fertilizer utilization patterns. The study employed Hybrid Rice Xin Xiang Liang you 1751 (XXLY1751) and Yue Liang you Mei Xiang Xin Zhan (YLYMXXZ) as representative rice cultivars. Key findings from the research include water, fertilizer, variety, and year treatments, which all significantly influenced the yield components of rice. Compared to W2, W1 in 2022 reduced the amount of irrigation water by 35.2%, resulting in a 42.0~42.8% increase in irrigation water productivity and a 25.7~25.9% increase in total water productivity. In 2023, similar improvements were seen. Specifically, compared with other treatments, the W1F3 treatment increased nitrogen uptake and harvest index by 1.4-7.7% and 5.9-7.7%, respectively. Phosphorus and potassium uptake also improved. The W1 treatment enhanced the uptake, accumulation, and translocation of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium nutrients throughout the rice growth cycle, increasing nutrient levels in the grains. When paired with the F3 fertilization approach, W1 treatment boosted yields and improved nutrient use efficiency. Consequently, combining W1 and F3 treatment emerged as this study's optimal water-fertilizer management approach. By harnessing the combined effects of water and fertilizer management, we can ensure efficient resource utilization and maximize the productive potential of rice.

The impacts of technological change policies on water uses and virtual water trade in water-constrained settings

Virtual water trade, which underlines the importance of inter-regional commodity transactions for enhancing water management, has often been recommended as an alternative to technological advancements in addressing water scarcity and increasing water savings in dry regions. Sectoral adjustment policies that focus on enhancing the productivity of specific sectors therefore should prioritize sectors with high growth impact potential but low virtual water demand. However, the diverse understanding of the concept and differing assessment techniques employed by various research communities complicate the debates surrounding the policy relevance of the virtual water trade. This study proposes a novel and integrated approach to evaluating virtual water content and flows endogenously, leveraging the advantages of Input-Output and Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) modeling methods. The quantification of the method is exemplified in the case of Uzbekistan (Central Asia), where water is a limited yet essential resource for sustainable economy and environmental systems. Specifically, this study examines the impacts of changes in economy-wide and sector-specific Total Factor Productivity (TFP) and water productivity on water uses, virtual water flows, and economic outcomes. The findings reveal that TFP improvements in livestock and fodder crop production and water productivity enhancements in gardening are recommendable options to constrain the net virtual water trade and enhance economic growth in Uzbekistan. The study also shows a high sensitivity of virtual water flows to technological changes, highlighting the importance of considering options for improving productivity when analyzing the potential of virtual water trade.

Water productivity at two sowing dates of simple white grain maize hybrids

In Mexico, maize stands out for its economic, food and cultural importance. Since ancient times, attempts have been made to increase maize grain yields with different alternatives, including hybridization. Currently, maize hybridization offers great advantages since from the first simple hybrids it is possible to evaluate important variables such as water productivity. The present work was carried out under field conditions in southern Sonora, in two sowing seasons: December 2022- May 2023 (SD 1) and April-August 2023 (SD 2). The research aimed to evaluate the effect of two sowing dates (SD) on phenology, water requirements, water productivity and grain yield. Three single white grain hybrids (L5 X L7; L1 X L2; L2 X L7) obtained from a dialelic design were evaluated. Phenophase occurrence time, irrigation time and interval, total water volume, evapotranspiration, grain yield and water productivity were the evaluated variables. The results showed that in SD 2 significantly reduced the time of occurrence of phenophases in all hybrids due to the effect of temperature. Irrigation time was significantly shorter in SD 2 compared to SD 1. Similarly, the irrigation interval decreased in SD 2 compared to SD 1 with a significant increase in the irrigation lamina. It was necessary to apply two more irrigations to achieve grain filling. Water productivity showed highly significant differences between hybrids and between sowing dates. The simple hybrid L5 X L7 showed better agronomic performance on both sowing dates, demonstrating tolerance to the increase in temperature on SD 2.

Emitter spacing, depth of lateral placement, and nutrient levels affect productivity of cotton-wheat cropping system under sub-surface drip fertigation

This comprehensive two-year field study investigates the transformative potential of sub-surface drip fertigation (SSDF) as a sustainable alternative to traditional surface flood irrigation coupled with manual nutrient broadcasting in the cotton-wheat cropping system (CWCS). The field experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with combination of two lateral depths (25±2.5 and 30±2.5 cm) and two emitter spacings (30 and 40 cm) in main plots and four fertigation schedules [100% Recommended nitrogen (RDN)-112.5 kg N ha−1) and 125%RDN in 10 &14 equal splits (cotton); 100% Recommended nitrogen and phosphorus (RDNP)-125:62.5 kg NP ha−1) and 80%RDNP in 08 & 10 equal splits (wheat)] in sub plots.Two additional control treatments i.e., C1[Surface flood (SF) irrigation with 100%RDN (105 kg N ha−1 for cotton), 100%RDNP (125:62.5 kg NP ha−1for wheat) applied through manual broadcasting] and C2[SSDF at 20±2.5 cm depth, 20 cm emitter spacing, and 100%RDN for cotton(112.5 kg N ha−1) in 10 equal splits, and 80%RDNP for wheat (100:50 kg NP ha−1) applied in 8 equal splits] were also studied.Results revealed an 18.6% improvement in CWCS productivity under SSDF, when cotton and wheat were fertigated with 125%RDN in 14 equal splits and 100%RDNP in 10 equal splits, respectively in comparison to 100%RDN in 10 equal splits (cotton) and 80%RDNP in 08 equal splits (wheat). Furthermore, lateral placement (25±2.5 cm) depth with emitter spacing (30 cm), and fertigation [125%RDN in 14 equal splits (cotton) and 100%RDNP in 10 equal splits (wheat)] improved crop, irrigationand total water productivity indices by 1.3, 3.1, and 2.1 folds, respectively as compared to SF (C1). Moreover, improvednet returns by 18.7–52.0%was also evident with a SSDF of 100%RDN in 14 equal splits and 80%RDNP in 10 equal splits in cotton and wheat.These findings elucidated that SSDF with drip lateral placement at 25±2.5 cm depth, having an emitter spacing of 30 cm, and fertigation of 125%RDN (140 kg N ha−1) in 14 equal splits(cotton); 100%RDNP (125:62.5 kg NP ha−1) in 10 equal splits (wheat) could be a novel water-savvy concept in sustaining the yield and water productivity of cotton-wheat cropping system under arid agro-ecosystems.

Energy and water budget of rice under different establishment methods

A field study aimed to investigate the influence of different rice establishment methods on energy and water budget of rice was conducted during kharif season of 2022. The experiment was carried out using a randomized block design with three replications. Seven treatments were examined, including three transplanting methods viz., SRI, mechanical transplanting and conventional transplanting, and four direct seeded rice (DSR) methods viz., wet DSR (drum seeding), wet DSR (broadcasting), dry converted wet rice (broadcasting) and dry converted wet rice (line sowing). Results revealed that chemical fertilizers, irrigation water, land preparation and seeding or transplanting operations constituted ~80% of the input energy in all rice establishment methods. Among the rice establishment methods, conventional transplanting exhibited the highest input energy of 21723.9 MJ ha-1, while dry converted wet rice (line sowing) recorded the lower input energy of 18394.3 MJ ha-1. In terms of output energy, wet DSR (drum seeding) recorded the highest value of 141781.1 MJ ha-1, whereas dry converted wet rice (broadcasting) registered the lowest value of 77223.2 MJ ha-1. The output energy of wet DSR (drum seeding) was comparable to that of SRI and dry converted wet rice (line sowing). Similarly, dry converted wet rice (line sowing) exhibited higher irrigation water productivity (0.73 kg m-3) and total water productivity (0.30 kg m-3) with a reduced water requirement of 630 mm. Compared to conventional transplanting, input energy consumption and irrigation water requirement was lower by 18.1% and 51.9% in dry converted wet rice (line sowing), 17.4% and 51.9% in dry converted wet rice (broadcasting), 16.9%, 36.7% in SRI and 9.13%, 27.6% in wet DSR (drum seeding) respectively. Thus, the adoption of wet DSR (drum seeding), SRI and dry converted wet rice (line sowing) is recommended for energy and water efficient rice production in Telangana.

Assessing crop–livestock water productivity in mixed-farming systems across climatic zones of Burkina Faso

Abstract Climate change adversely impacts food and feed production, depletes water, and increases the vulnerability of the people living within arid and semi-arid areas. The current study aims to assess crop–livestock water productivity within such drought-recurrent or water-stressed regions. This was done through secondary data collection and interviews from 589 households across the Sudan, Sudan–Sahel, and Sahel climatic zones of Burkina Faso. The findings confirm that the feeding strategies of livestock were based essentially on natural pasture, crop residues, and agricultural by-products. Moreover, crop–livestock total water productivity (TWP) was found generally higher in the Sudan zone (0.29 ± 0.02 $US/m3) characterized by more favorable climatic conditions than the Sudan–Sahel and Sahel regions that experienced a similar TWP (0.21 ± 0.01 $US/m3). The research gives insight into the valuation of virtual water contained in livestock feeds. Improving the accessibility in quantity and quality of such feeds through informed policy actions could enhance returns on transpired water. Additionally, other water harvesting and conservation methods are also essential to sustain more productive crop–livestock systems within water-stressed regions like Burkina Faso.

Effect of planting and irrigation management strategies on growth, yield and water productivity of indica rice in Iran

Abstract One of the most important problems for rice production is the high water need of this plant. Therefore, the use of modern technologies to increase water-saving in paddy fields is critical to global food security. Hence, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of different planting methods and irrigation systems on growth, yield and water productivity in rice. The experiment was arranged as a split-plot in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experimental treatments included the main plot assigned to three planting methods (transplanting at puddled bed [TPB], transplanting at non-puddled bed [TNPB], and direct-seeded rice [DSR]) and the sub-plot assigned to three irrigation systems (continuous flooding irrigation (CFI), alternate wetting and drying [AWD], and drip irrigation [DI]). The results showed that the highest grain yield (3962.7 kg.ha−1) and more-water-saving (17.3%) was achieved in the TPB treatment. Total water productivity for TPB, TNPB, and DSR methods were calculated to be 0.56, 0.43, and 0.34 kg.m−3, respectively. Grain yield in CFI (3457.6 kg.ha−1) and AWD (3410.3 kg.ha−1) systems was significantly higher than DI treatment (3150.7 kg.ha−1), while no significant difference was observed between CFI and AWD treatments in terms of rice production. However, the AWD system increased water-saving by 24.8% compared with CFI. Our results highlight that combined application of AWD system and TPB method has a great potential to reduce total water input without negatively affecting yield.

Analyzing the Effects of Planting Date on the Uncertainty of CERES-Maize and Its Potential to Reduce Yield Gap in Arid and Mediterranean Climates

Decision support system tools such as crop models and considering the uncertainties associated with them are important for making an informed decision to fill the yield gap in farms and increase food security. This study’s objective was to identify and quantify the degree to which crop management practices, as well as climate and soil, affected the uncertainty of total biomass, evapotranspiration, and water productivity of silage maize by using a crop model and spatiotemporal input data. Using a calibrated crop model (DSSAT) and pSIMS platform, three planting dates by considering ten ensemble weather data and three soil profile data were simulated for the time period between 2002 and 2017 with a 2 km × 2 km resolution across maize production areas with arid and Mediterranean climates in Isfahan province, Iran. Additionally, the findings were used to determine the yield gap in the studied area to identify opportunities to boost food production. Our results showed larger uncertainty in Mediterranean climates than in arid climates, and it was more affected by planting date than weather parameters and soil profile. The accuracy of total biomass prediction by using pSIMS-CERES-Maize based on the spatiotemporal input data was 1.9% compared to field experimental data in the dry climate, and the yield gap based on the comparison of modified-pSIMS-CERES-Maize and reported biomass was 6.8 to 13 tons ha−1 in the arid and Mediterranean climate. Generally, all results represented the importance of using crop models and considering spatiotemporal data to increase reliability and accuracy, especially in Mediterranean climates, and their potential to increase food production in developing countries with limited water resources and poor agriculture management.

Dynamic simulation of a triple-mode multi-generation system assisted by heat recovery and solar energy storage modules: Techno-economic optimization using machine learning approaches

Intelligent design and operation optimization allow energy systems to take advantage of the flexibility that multi-generation provides. This study proposes a basic solar-driven system integrated with thermal energy storage for round-the-clock energy harvesting. A modified configuration is then designed incorporating innovative multi-heat recovery approaches to increase the capacity and product diversity of the basic system. The modified system is able to cover vital urban utilities such as electricity, fresh water, cooling, and hydrogen throughout the day. To overcome the time-consuming procedure of dynamic techno-economic simulation as well as the limitation of commercial engineering equation solvers for tri-objective optimization, a deep learning approach is developed to reduce the computational complexity and improve the analysis accuracy. In this regard, the trained neural networks play an intermediary role in coupling the developed code with the MATLAB optimization toolbox. A comparison between the modified and conventional configurations indicates that implementing the multi-heat recovery approach results in a 29% increase in power generation while only increasing the overall system cost by 1.97%. From an economic perspective, the Sankey diagram depicts that the storage unit with a cost rate of 12.25 $/h accounts for 6.77% of the plant's cost rate, which enables the system to operate continuously. According to the sensitivity analysis and contour plots, the number of collectors significantly affects the total cost rate and fresh water production capacity while it has no tangible effect on the exergy efficiency.

Dynamic Analysis of High-Water-Cut Tight Sandstone Gas Reservoirs and Study of Water Production Splitting of Gas Wells: A Case Study on the Western Sulige Gas Field, Ordos Basin, NW China

The western Sulige gas field is a new and key reserve area for the rolling development of the Sulige gas field in China. However, due to the complex gas–water relationship and the difficulty in identifying gas and water formation, the scale and benefit deployment of the gas field are seriously restricted. In particular, almost all of the wells in the area produce water, and no water measurements have been carried out for any single well, which leads to an unclear understanding of the dynamic characteristics of the production wells, thus affecting the productivity calculations of the gas wells and the overall regional productivity evaluation. Based on the testing data for a gas well, the impacts of the reservoir property parameters on the gas and water production were analyzed by combining the production performance and static geological characteristics. It was determined that the physical parameters K, Kh, and φSg had good positive correlations with gas production but not with water production; thus, effective prediction cannot be obtained for water production in gas well testing. After the analysis of the liquid-loading law, the gas wells were classified into three types: continuous liquid-carrying production, slight liquid-loading, and liquid-loading wells. In general, up to 96% of the gas wells were liquid-loaded. According to the different production performances exhibited in the different stages of the gas wells, five types of methods for diagnosing water production wells were proposed (gas testing, pilot production, gas–liquid two-phase measurement testing, liquid level detection, and production performance analysis), as well as the diagnostic criteria and corresponding solutions. To obtain real-time water production data for each well and investigate the change in the water–gas ratio (WGR) during the whole production process, a water production splitting method for gas wells based on three-dimensional geological modeling and numerical simulation combined with the constraints of the total water production of gas gathering stations was explored and established. The splitting results can be used to evaluate the water and gas productivity of gas wells and determine the best deliquification period. The gas well productivity when water production was considered was about 10% lower than that when water production was not considered. The best deliquification period was determined to be 125 days for wells with small water production, 20 days for wells with moderate water production, and 3 days for wells with serious water production. The results of this study could provide technical support for the scientific evaluation of gas well production indicators, reduction in development costs, and improvement in oil recovery.

Design and performance a novel hybrid membrane distillation/humidification–dehumidification system

Water shortage is a burden on governments with the significant increase in population and industrial activities. There is an urgent need to devise innovative systems for providing potable water with low production costs. The availability of seawater around the world with the presence of desalination technologies can offer various solutions. A novel air gap membrane/humidification-dehumidification (AGMD/HDH) hybrid system was designed and implemented to produce distilled water. The influence of operational parameters on the hybrid process was studied in detail. Freshwater productivity gained output ratio (GOR), energy efficiency, specific thermal energy consumption (STEC), and feasibility study was investigated to optimize the process. Air flowrate, seawater feed temperature, and water flow rate were ranged from 100 kg/h to 250 kg/h, 40 °C, 65 °C, and 240 L/h to 600 L/h, respectively. The hybrid system produced freshwater of 24.4 kg/h at optimum conditions. The leading performance indicators were 6.8 for GOR, energy efficiency (80%), and 240 kWh/m3 for STEC. Humidification-dehumidification (HDH) system was mainly powered by low-grade energy power, so the proposed hybrid system was able to recover heat loss from the operation of the air gap membrane desalination (AGMD) unit. The cost estimation of distilled water is 9.34 US $/m3 with an annual production rate of 210.62 m3/year. The proposed hybrid air gap membrane distillation/humidification–dehumidification units showed remarkable improvement in total water productivity at a low cost.

Highly Efficient, Antibacterial, and Salt-Resistant Strategy Based on Carbon Black/Chitosan-Decorated Phase-Change Microcapsules for Solar-Powered Seawater Desalination.

Solar-powered interfacial evaporation has been recognized to be a promising and sustainable technology for seawater desalination, in view of the challenge of freshwater scarcity and fossil energy storage. Nevertheless, current cutting-edge interfacial evaporation systems mostly ignore the issues of intermittent solar irradiation and bacterial contamination. We have hereby developed a novel type of an interfacial evaporator equipped with carbon black (CB)/chitosan (CS)-decorated phase-change microcapsules as a multifunctional photothermal material for solar-powered seawater desalination, based on a highly efficient, antibacterial, and salt-resistant multipurpose strategy. In the developed microcapsules, an n-docosane phase-change material (PCM) core was engulfed in a TiO2 shell, followed by surface decorating a CB/CS nanocomposite layer. A high thermal energy-storage capacity of more than 140 J g-1 was achieved, thanks to tight sealing of n-docosane as a PCM core in the perfect core-shell structured microcapsules. Moreover, a rational combination of CS and CB nanoparticles not only contributes an extremely high solar absorption efficiency of 95.04% and good wettability to the as-synthesized microcapsules, but also imparts outstanding antibacterial and salt-resistant abilities to them. These innovative designs enable the developed evaporator to gain a high evaporation rate of 2.58 kg m-2 h-1, along with an evaporation efficiency higher than 90% for consecutive and stable evaporation of seawater under intermittent solar illumination. Compared to conventional evaporators without a PCM, there is an increase by 1.03 kg m-2 in the total water production of the develop evaporator under natural solar illumination for 8 h on a semicloudy day. The resultant evaporated water presents good vegetation compatibility to meet the requirement of crop growth for agricultural cultivation. This work provides a new pathway for designing and developing the high-performance interfacial evaporators with prominent antibacterial and salt-resistant abilities to produce purified water through solar-powered sustainable seawater desalination.

Spatio-Temporal Distribution Characteristics and Driving Factors of Main Grain Crop Water Productivity in the Yellow River Basin.

To reveal the relationship between agricultural water resource consumption and grain production in the Yellow River Basin, the irrigation water productivity (WPI), crop water productivity (WPC), total inflow water productivity (WPT), and eleven influencing factors were selected. The spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and driving factors of water productivity of the main crops in the Yellow River Basin were analyzed with the spatial autocorrelation analysis, grey correlation analysis, sensitivity analysis, and relative contribution rate. The results showed that the minimum mean values of WPI, WPC, and WPT were 0.22, 0.35, and 0.18 kg/m3 in Qinghai, respectively, the maximum mean value of WPI was 2.11 kg/m3 in Henan, and the maximum mean values of WPC and WPT were 0.71 and 0.61 kg/m3 in Shandong, respectively. The changing trends in WPI and WPT in Qinghai and in WPC in Shandong were insignificant, whereas the WPI, WPC, and WPT in other provinces showed a significant increasing trend. Water productivity displayed a certain spatial clustering feature in the Yellow River Basin in different years, such as a high-high (H-H) aggregation in Henan in 2005, and an H-H aggregation in Shanxi in 2015 for WPI. The water productivity had a significant positive correlation with the consumption of chemical fertilizer with a 100% effective component (CFCEC), effective irrigated area (EIA), plastic film used for agriculture (PFUA), and total power of agricultural machinery (AMTP), while it had a significant negative correlation with the persons engaged in rural areas (PERA). There was a large grey correlation degree between the water productivity and the average annual precipitation (AAP), CFCEC, PFUA, consumption of chemical pesticides (CFC), and AMTP in the Yellow River Basin, but their sensitivity was relatively small. The main driving factors were EIA (8.98%), agricultural water (AW, 15.55%), AMTP (12.64%), CFCEC (12.06%), and CPC (9.77%) for WPI; AMTP (16.46%), CFCEC (13.25%), average annual evaporation (AAE, 12.94%), EIA (10.49%), and PERA (10.19%) for WPC; and EIA (14.26%), AMTP (13.38%), AAP (12.30%), CFCEC (10.49%), and PFUA (9.69%) for WPT in the Yellow River Basin. The results can provide support for improving the utilization efficiency of agricultural water resources, optimizing the allocation of water resources, and implementing high-quality agricultural developments in the Yellow River Basin.

Development of MXene-decorated sodium alginate/SiO2@n-docosane hierarchical phase-change microcapsules for solar-driven sustainable seawater desalination

A novel type of MXene-decorated and sodium alginate (SA)-coated phase-change microcapsules (hereafter named “MXene/SA/SiO2-MEPCM”) was designed as a bifunctional solar absorber for the interfacial evaporator to realize sustainable seawater desalination. The MXene/SA/SiO2-MEPCM was fabricated by encapsulating n-docosane as a phase change material (PCM) in the SiO2 shell, followed by depositing a SA layer and decorating MXene nanosheets. An innovative integration of SA and MXene nanosheets enables the microcapsules to achieve a high light absorption capability of over 97 % together with good wettability, promoting a high evaporation rate of 2.11 kg·m−2·h−1 under one-sun illumination. The MXene/SA/SiO2-MEPCM exhibits a high latent heat capacity of over 150 J·g−1 for consecutive and high-efficient evaporation under intermittent solar illumination. Compared to the evaporator without a PCM core, the MXene/SA/SiO2-MEPCM-based evaporator achieved an increase in evaporation mass by 1.4 kg·m−2 through 5-cycle consecutive evaporation processes under solar illumination and natural cooling. Furthermore, its total water production was increased by 1.01 kg·m−2 under natural solar illumination for 7.5 h on a semi-cloudy day. The MXene/SA/SiO2-MEPCM also exhibits good recyclability for long-term use in solar-driven seawater desalination thanks to the good structural stability of its shell and highly stable reversible phase transitions of its PCM core.

Effect of Soil Moisture Deficit on Aerobic Rice in Temperate Australia

Declining water availability is pressing rice growers to adopt water-saving irrigation practices such as aerobic rice to maintain profitability per megalitre (ML) of water input. Irrigators require well-defined irrigation thresholds to initiate irrigation to maximise water productivity. Such thresholds do not exist for temperate rice regions. Adopting a strategy that has been reported to succeed in non-temperate environments may fail in temperate climates, and therefore, needs investigation. This study aimed to investigate, in a temperate Australian environment, the effect of increasing soil moisture deficit during the rice vegetative period on crop physiological development, grain yield and water productivity. The study was conducted in a commercial farm using a randomised complete block design in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 growing seasons. Automated gravity surface irrigation technologies were adopted to enable high-frequency irrigation. Extending soil moisture deficit beyond 15 kPa was found to significantly delay panicle initiation by at least 13–14 days, exposing rice to cold temperatures in Year 1 during the cold-sensitive early pollen microspore period. This reduced yield by up to 55% (4.5 t/ha) compared to the 15 kPa treatment that was not impacted by cold sterility. In the absence of cold sterility, irrigated water productivity and total water productivity ranged between 1.02 and 1.61 t/ML, and 0.84 and 0.93 t/ML, respectively. The highest yields (8.1 and 7.5 t/ha) were achieved irrigating at a soil tension of 15 kPa in growing seasons 2020/21 and 2021/22. This research demonstrates that sound water productivity can be achieved with aerobic rice cultivation in temperate climates, providing cold temperatures during early pollen microspore are avoided. The quantification of the delay in crop development caused by increasing soil moisture deficit provides rice farmers greater confidence in determining the irrigation strategy and timing of pre-emergent irrigation in regions at risk of cold sterility. However, due to the high labour demand associated with aerobic rice, the adoption of aerobic rice at a commercial scale in this Australian environment is unlikely without adopting automated irrigation technology.

Evaluating the Hydraulic Performance of Existing Water Supply Distribution System: The Case of Tebela Town of Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia

The adequate and reliable water supply in the developing towns of Ethiopia is becoming a challenge for most water utilities especially public service providers like Tebela town. The main objective of this research was to check the hydraulic performance of Tebela town's water distribution system by evaluating water demand and production, losses of water, and hydraulic parameters. Both secondary and primary data sources were used for this study. Primary data was collected through field surveys and photographs of relevant sites and infrastructures. The secondary data was collected from design documents, literature, journals, and office. Moreover, to analyse the existing water distribution system, a model was developed by using WaterGEMSv8i software. The model simulation run was performed for peak and low demand scenarios to analyze the distribution system. The analysis shows that the water supply coverage was 25.9%. The water loss of the town was 17.2% from the total water production. Modeling results showed violation of maximum and minimum pressure and velocity criteria at different junctions and pipes. After modifying the existing water distribution system, 96.23% of the junctions are in the recommended pressure range and 73.50% of the pipes are in the recommended velocity range at minimum hourly consumption. Generally the result of the analysis shows that the overall hydraulic performance of water distribution of the town was moderate, which is reflected by medium water production rate, water consumption, and nonrevenue water, also low water coverage, some velocity and pressure is not in permissible range. Therefore, it is important to rehabilitate and improve the water distribution system capacities, establish pressure zones, increase pumping rates, and drill additional boreholes to meet the current water demand and future demand.

Estimation of theoretical production capacity of long-term operated well stock

The paper deals with the issue of the rational use of well stock via the specification of the capacity increase of production in the long-term developed fields. The distribution graph of oil by all wells has been developed based on the statistical processing using a system approach of obtained field data. The hyperbolic nature of obtained distributions indicates the irregularity of the development and operation processes of the fields. The distributions of the total oil and water production by selected output intervals have been developed and analyzed as well. Mathematic models of obtained distribution functions have been specified. The results of studies carried out enable us to estimate the theoretic production capacity of reviewed well stock.

Sustainable Interfacial Evaporation System Based on Hierarchical MXene/Polydopamine/Magnetic Phase-Change Microcapsule Composites for Solar-Driven Seawater Desalination.

Solar photothermal-driven interfacial evaporation is a promising technology with great potential for wastewater purification and seawater desalination. However, intermittent solar illumination and salt accumulation are still the major roadblocks of interfacial evaporation in practical applications. Herein, we developed a novel interfacial evaporation system based on the hierarchical MXene/polydopamine (PDA)/magnetic phase-change microcapsule composites (hereafter named "MXene/PDA@TiO2/Fe3O4@C22-HMC") integrated with natural wood. The microcapsule composites were fabricated by microencapsulating n-docosane as a phase-change material (PCM) core in a TiO2/Fe3O4 composite shell and then coating a PDA layer, followed by surface-attaching with MXene nanosheets. The obtained MXene/PDA@TiO2/Fe3O4@C22-HMC exhibits a good optical absorption ability, high heat energy-storage capacity, and good hydrophilicity. This enables the MXene/PDA@TiO2/Fe3O4@C22-HMC-based evaporator to gain a high water evaporation rate of 2.09 kg m-2 h-1 under one-sun illumination. A combination of the microchannels in natural wood and the tiny gap between the microcapsules results in a rapid water transportation within the evaporation system, which effectively resists salt accumulation during the evaporating process. As a result, there was no salt crystal observed from the evaporator surface in a 10 wt % NaCl solution under three-sun illumination for 8 h. More importantly, the introduction of Fe3O4 nanoparticles into the TiO2 shell endows the MXene/PDA@TiO2/Fe3O4@C22-HMC with magnetism, greatly enhancing the reusability and separability of the developed evaporator to undertake multicycle salt accumulation and washing processes for long-term desalination use. The latent heat release of the n-docosane core offers the developed evaporator a large amount of heat energy for continuous evaporation on a semi-cloudy day, increasing the total water production by 1.17 kg m-2 compared to the conventional evaporator without a PCM. This study provides an effective solution for intermittent solar energy utilization and salt accumulation in the solar-driven interfacial evaporation systems of seawater desalination.

Impacts of non-adsorbable gas on the adsorption-based desalination and cooling system with fin branch configurations

Non-adsorbable gas can significantly deteriorate the adsorption dynamics of the adsorption-based desalination and cooling system. In this study, an alternative complete computational fluid dynamic model involving non-adsorbable gas transportation is established. The impacts of non-adsorbable air originating from the incomplete degassing or leakage in the evaporator on the heat and mass transfer characteristics in the adsorbent bed and the performance of the adsorption-based desalination and cooling system are analyzed. Non-adsorbable air can significantly hinder the system performance due to weakened adsorption dynamics and induced additional mass transfer resistance. Moreover, a finned-tube bed attached with branched fins is employed to improve the heat transfer and adsorption dynamics. The impacts of fin configurations on the system performance with non-adsorbable air considered are systematically investigated. Machine learning is employed to construct the quantitative relationship between the fin configuration parameters and the total system throughput. And the optimal fin configuration is further identified via the genetic algorithm. The optimal fin configuration with the fin number of 12 and fin branch angle of 64.4° renders a 24.6% augmentation in the total cooling power and a 20.4% increase in total daily water production, respectively.