Hydroponic system and desalinated seawater as an alternative farm-productive proposal in water scarcity areas: Energy and greenhouse gas emissions analysis of lettuce production in southeast Spain

Martinez-Mate, M.A.; Martín-Górriz, B.; Álvarez, Victoriano Martínez; Soto-García, M.; Valero, José Francisco Maestre

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.275

Cited by 58 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…One of the major advantages of using SCS is water economization. For instance, lettuce nutrient film technique (NFT) production in South-East Spain requires 62% less water than soil cultivation [46]. In this context, sometimes a comparison between local and imported products is discussed.…”

Section: Soilless Culture and Growing Media: Pros And Consmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these values are possible to achieve and every reduction in water consumption is a step in the right direction. Moreover, under the expected climate change scenarios and water limitation for agriculture, desalinated seawater coupled with hydroponic systems could be a valuable strategy to sustain a high productive agriculture [46]. WUE has a direct economic and environmental effect [8].…”

Section: Soilless Culture and Growing Media: Pros And Consmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Increasing Sustainability of Growing Media Constituents and Stand-Alone Substrates in Soilless Culture Systems

2019

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Decreasing arable land, rising urbanization, water scarcity, and climate change exert pressure on agricultural producers. Moving from soil to soilless culture systems can improve water use efficiency, especially in closed-loop systems with a recirculating water/nutrient solution that recaptures the drain water for reuse. However, the question of alternative materials to peat and rockwool, as horticultural substrates, has become increasingly important, due to the despoiling of ecologically important peat bog areas and a pervasive waste problem. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive critical review of current developments in soilless culture, growing media, and future options of using different materials other than peat and rockwool. Apart from growing media properties and their performance from the point of view of plant production, economic and environmental factors are also important. Climate change, CO 2 emissions, and other ecological issues will determine and drive the development of soilless culture systems and the choice of growing media in the near future. Bioresources, e.g., treated and untreated waste, as well as renewable raw materials, have great potential to be used as growing media constituents and stand-alone substrates. A waste management strategy aimed at reducing, reusing, and recycling should be further and stronger applied in soilless culture systems. We concluded that the growing media of the future must be available, affordable, and sustainable and meet both quality and environmental requirements from growers and society, respectively.

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Section: Soilless Culture and Growing Media: Pros And Consmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Soilless Culture and Growing Media: Pros And Consmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing Sustainability of Growing Media Constituents and Stand-Alone Substrates in Soilless Culture Systems

2019

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“…Incluso en los tratamientos que utilizaron mayor volumen de AMD (T1S y T1F frente a T3S y T3F), que conllevaron un mayor consumo de energía específica, los incrementos en todas las categorías de impacto fueron inferiores al 5%, exceptuando la CED, donde se alcanzó el 10% entre T1S y T3S. La intensificación de los sistemas agrícolas, como en el caso de los cultivos hidropónicos, incrementaron el requerimiento de energía fósil que repercutió directamente en las categorías de impacto relacionadas como CED y GWP [15,16].…”

Section: Resultados Y Discusiónunclassified

“…Este lixiviado fue tratado en la planta de osmosis, con un rechazo medio de un 30%, lo que supuso un ahorro de agua del 14%. Este resultado coincide con el obtenido por otros autores como [16], que indicaron una mayor eficiencia del uso del agua en el cultivo hidropónico de lechuga frente al cultivo en suelo.…”

Section: Congreso Ibérico De Agroingeniería X Congresso Ibérico De unclassified

Sostenibilidad ambiental del riego con agua marina desalinizada y reutilización de drenajes en tomate bajo invernadero

Górriz¹,

Valero²,

Gallego-Elvira³

et al. 2019

Congreso Ibérico De Agroingeniería

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Resumen: La incorporación de agua marina desalinizada (AMD) al sureste español es la principal estrategia recogida en la planificación hídrica española con el fin de hacer frente a su déficit estructural de agua, que afecta principalmente al regadío. Este trabajo analiza la sostenibilidad medioambiental del riego con AMD en sistemas hidropónicos con reutilización de drenajes para el cultivo de tomate bajo invernadero. La metodología aplicada se basa en el Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) de acuerdo con la normativa ISO 14040. Esta metodología atribuye al producto final todos los efectos ambientales derivados del consumo de materias primas y de energías necesarias para su manufactura, las emisiones y residuos generados en el proceso de producción, así como los efectos ambientales procedentes del fin de vida del producto cuando éste se consume o ya no se puede utilizar. La metodología ha sido aplicada con los datos experimentales obtenidos mediante ensayos en el marco del proyecto LIFE-DESEACROP en la Fundación Finca Experimental UAL-ANECOOP, Retamar (Almería) y analiza específicamente y de forma comparativa los efectos de (1) las fuentes de agua convencionales frente al riego con AMD, y (2) los sistemas con reutilización de drenajes frente a los sistemas que vierten los drenajes al subsuelo. Los impactos ambientales analizados han sido el potencial de calentamiento global, el potencial de acidificación del suelo y el agua, el potencial de eutrofización, y el potencial de agotamiento de recursos abióticos. También se han incluido en el análisis dos indicadores de especial relevancia en la producción agrícola como la eficiencia del uso del agua y la demanda de energía acumulada. Como conclusiones del trabajo cabe destacar que, (1) el empleo de agua AMD supone un aumento leve del impacto ambiental en la mayoría de categorías de impacto analizadas (<5%); (2) el cultivo hidropónico tiene una mayor eficiencia del uso del agua que el cultivo en suelo (14%) y (3) la reutilización de drenajes reduce la acidificación, eutrofización y agotamiento de recursos, pero aumenta el calentamiento global y la demanda de energía acumulada.Palabras clave: Análisis ciclo vida; sostenibilidad ambiental; emisiones de efecto invernadero; aguas no convencionales.

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“…Alicante and Murcia regions are located in South-eastern (SE) Spain, among the regions with the largest (structural) water deficit in Europe of around 400 hm 3 /year [36]. The climatic characteristics of the SRB, in which the study was carried out (Figure 1), correspond to a semiarid Mediterranean climate [37], and according to the water exploitation index, which is the ratio of total fresh water abstraction to the total renewable resource, reaches 130%, ranking this basin with the third highest level of water stress in Europe [38].…”

Section: Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to Close the Gap of Desalinated Seawater for Agricultural Irrigation? Confronting Attitudes between Managers and Farmers in Alicante and Murcia (Spain)

Ricart

Villar-Navascués

Gil-Guirado

et al. 2020

Water

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Although desalination water cost and quality standards have been widely studied, less attention has been paid to understanding how desalination plant managers and irrigation communities interact to address water scarcity. This paper aims to approach these questions from experience in Alicante and Murcia (Spain). Two specific questionnaires have been applied to (1) three desalination plants managed by the Spanish public company ACUAMED, and (2) 11 irrigation communities who use desalinated seawater. Discursive analysis has been applied in order to deepen understanding on the driving factors, benefits, and barriers of desalination use and management. Results highlighted how (1) irrigation communities consider desalination as a complementary water source to be combined with conventional water resources, (2) both ACUAMED and irrigation communities highlighted two main advantages of desalination: the security/guarantee of supply and water quality parameters, and (3) managers and irrigators disagree on the desalination model of seawater provision and management, since irrigators consider that the Central Union of the Tajo-Segura transfer irrigators (SCRATS) should have a leading role. In addition, the main driving factors and barriers useful for policy makers when closing the gap of desalination have been identified: water price and energy consumption; lack of water storage capacity and regulation; environmental impacts.

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Hydroponic system and desalinated seawater as an alternative farm-productive proposal in water scarcity areas: Energy and greenhouse gas emissions analysis of lettuce production in southeast Spain

Cited by 58 publications

References 26 publications

Increasing Sustainability of Growing Media Constituents and Stand-Alone Substrates in Soilless Culture Systems

Increasing Sustainability of Growing Media Constituents and Stand-Alone Substrates in Soilless Culture Systems

Sostenibilidad ambiental del riego con agua marina desalinizada y reutilización de drenajes en tomate bajo invernadero

How to Close the Gap of Desalinated Seawater for Agricultural Irrigation? Confronting Attitudes between Managers and Farmers in Alicante and Murcia (Spain)

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