Denitrifying woodchips bioreactor
Published on 16 May 2020
Spain
Región de Murcia
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
Drainage of agricultural irrigation has a high load of nitrates proceeding of the fertilizer that the crops do not uptake. Likewise, that high load of nitrates (which in some cases reaches a concentration around 250 mg/l) goes to the deeper layers of the ground, producing eutrophication in water sources.
The high concentration nitrates or its pollution concerns all the Authorities as Local, Regional, National or even European which are in Murcia Region, indeed there is an Action Plan in vulnerable areas so as to limit polluting potential activities as the agriculture.
Especially this is a strong problem in a salty lagoon in Murcia called Mar Menor, where a higher concentration of nitrates in aquifer and lagoon water jeopardizes the environmental health of the lagoon and also the tourism and fishery.
Removes nitrates is not an easy and cheap task, for it some organizations are trying to find viable and efficient systems to reduce the discharged nitrates without negative effects in the environment. Chipwoods bioreactors is a very promising system to get it. Some pilot plants have been installed both in an experimental field of UPCT and Los Alcázares WWTP to study the removal of nitrates from the brine of desalination plants and agricultural drainages. Studies of retention time, type of woodchips, practice design, organic matter in the effluent and so on are being studied and the results are really promising.
The high concentration nitrates or its pollution concerns all the Authorities as Local, Regional, National or even European which are in Murcia Region, indeed there is an Action Plan in vulnerable areas so as to limit polluting potential activities as the agriculture.
Especially this is a strong problem in a salty lagoon in Murcia called Mar Menor, where a higher concentration of nitrates in aquifer and lagoon water jeopardizes the environmental health of the lagoon and also the tourism and fishery.
Removes nitrates is not an easy and cheap task, for it some organizations are trying to find viable and efficient systems to reduce the discharged nitrates without negative effects in the environment. Chipwoods bioreactors is a very promising system to get it. Some pilot plants have been installed both in an experimental field of UPCT and Los Alcázares WWTP to study the removal of nitrates from the brine of desalination plants and agricultural drainages. Studies of retention time, type of woodchips, practice design, organic matter in the effluent and so on are being studied and the results are really promising.
Resources needed
More than 300.000 € have been put on the table for ESAMUR to study denitrifying systems, with the construction of pilot plants and the studies are being carried out. Also, there is an agreement between UPCT and ESAMUR for the research.
Evidence of success
Efficiencies of nitrate reduction are high (70-95 %, according to the temperature). The treatment cost is low, pretty lower than conventional denitrifying systems. Now is going to carry out a scaling up to study the performance with high flow rates (more than 500 m3/day).Eutrophication of water sources is a common problem in agriculture across Europe and it could be an excellent system for farmers to reduce the nitrate discharge and besides of that the system is simple of operating.
Potential for learning or transfer
To reduce the nitrates discharge of farmers is a need if we want to preserve our environment. This system is very effective and viable, and very easy to set up by farmers. Perhaps the only restriction could be the low temperatures in some regions, because the efficiency of denitrifying process decrease dramatically.
Therefore this is a very good practice to transfer to many other regions and Murcia Region is being an excellent experimental field to work with it, encouraged by the need of protecting our salty lagoon (Mar Menor).
Therefore this is a very good practice to transfer to many other regions and Murcia Region is being an excellent experimental field to work with it, encouraged by the need of protecting our salty lagoon (Mar Menor).
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
ESAMUR
Spain
Región de Murcia
Contact
AGRICULTURAL ENGINEER