ANALYSIS OF CLOGGING IN DRIP EMITTERS DURING WASTEWATER IRRIGATION

Abstract

The use of wastewater for crop irrigation is a practical alternative to the discharge of wastewater treatment planteffluents to surface waters. However, clogging of drip emitters is often encountered when wastewater is distributed using dripirrigation systems. Experiments were conducted using 15 different types of drip emitters to identify emitter susceptibility andtechniques to mitigate the potential for clogging. Chlorine and compressed air were applied at the end of the irrigation cycleto test their effectiveness in mitigating clogging. Chlorination at 0.5 g m-3 of free chlorine residual at the end of the eachirrigation cycle was found to attenuate clogging more effectively relative to the control and compressed air treatments.Compressed air cleaning at low pressures of 1.96 kPa was not effective in mitigating the effects of clogging in drippers. Thebest performing emitter consisted of a flat body style with a rectangular elastic membrane (pressure compensated andself-cleaning device) and relatively short pathway.