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Irrigation with seawater
A new system which allows food crops to be irrigated with seawater will solve global problems of food production, according to researchers at the University of Surrey, UK.
“97.5% of the world’s water is salty and not usable for the great majority of agriculture,” says Professor Adel Sharif, team leader. “With this approach, there is no need for investment in genetically modified crops or ongoing treatments for the soil. The technology will be accessible and will genuinely solve the problem for people without access to fresh water for agriculture.”
The low-cost solution, which makes seawater irrigation on a large scale a realistic and sustainable solution to food supply problems, does not require high pressure pumps or expensive distillation units. Instead, the new approach makes use of the natural process of evaporation alongside a membrane designed to retain the impurities in the water, including the salts, allowing only pure water to reach the plants.
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