Raquel Salvador

Microwave decomposition of a chlorinated pesticide (Lindane) supported on modified sepiolites

Inorganic porous materials based on modified sepiolites have been studied as supports for controlled degradation of Lindane, a chlorinated pesticide. In dry media conditions under microwave (MW) irradiation, sepiolite can dehydrohalogenate Lindane to pentachlorocyclohexene (PCCH). Trichlorobenzene (TCB) and PCCH are obtained with NaOH-modified sepiolite and, when nickel oxide is present in the solid, CO2 is also found as a product of the reaction, in different proportions depending on the surface characteristics.

Solid-Set Sprinkler Irrigation Controllers Driven by Simulation Models: Opportunities and Bottlenecks

AbstractFarmers continue to show great differences in irrigation water use, even for a given location and crop. Irrigation advisory services have narrowed the gap between scientific knowledge and on-farm scheduling, but their success has been limited. The performance of sprinkler irrigation is greatly affected by factors such as wind speed, whose short-time variability requires tactical adjustments of the irrigation schedule. Mounting energy costs often require the consideration of interday and intraday tariff evolution. Opportunities have arisen that allow these challenges to be addressed through irrigation controllers guided by irrigation and crop simulation models. Remote control systems are often installed in collective pressurized irrigation networks. Agrometeorological information networks are available in regions worldwide. Water users’ associations use specialized databases for water management. Different configurations of irrigation controllers based on simulation models can develop, continuously...

Living with Drought in the Irrigated Agriculture of the Ebro Basin (Spain): Structural and Water Management Actions

This chapter presents a discussion of a set of technological actions aimed at living with drought in the irrigated agricultural region of the Ebro Basin in Spain. The basin faces recurrent drought episodes that have led farmers to take action on the structural and water management aspects of water conservation. Structural works have taken the form of large irrigation modernization plans, affecting about one-fourth of the currently irrigated land. Modernization typically implies the construction of collective, remote-controlled, pressurized irrigation networks and the installation of on-farm sprinkler/drip irrigation systems. The impacts of these modernization projects on the Ebro Basin hydrology and on the economy and productivity of irrigated agriculture are discussed. In parallel, actions have been set up to improve water management, mostly at the water-user association (WUA) level. The cooperative design, elaboration, and dissemination of a database software supporting daily water management operations in WUAs is presented, and the utilities for drought management are discussed. Finally, a plan for action benefiting from improvements on both structures and water management capacities is presented. This new action comprises automated irrigation scheduling and operation, and is based on a combination of remotely controlled networks, WUA management and meteorological databases, and irrigation engineering tools. The proposed action has already undergone significant research and could result in the generalization of scientific irrigation scheduling and in the complete automation of irrigation operation. Technology can support farmers in their efforts to adapt to drought conditions and still obtain sustainable profits.