Can the “Solid Water” created by the scientists of the Voronezh State University solve the problem of drought?
Welcome to the iCover Blog Pages ! Water scarcity provoking drought is a problem in many countries and regions of the planet. In turn, insufficient irrigation of the soil is one of the key factors that directly affect its fertility, quality and volume of harvested crops. And with the complete lack of opportunities for full and regular water supply and irrigation, many territories with potentially fertile soils become unviable.
Scientists of the Department of Chemistry of Voronezh State University proposed a drastic change in the situation. Instead of liquid water, they suggested using a special water-intensive granular sorbent that can be applied to the soil along with fertilizers. As the soil dries, the granules begin to discharge water into the soil to the desired level of saturation. The introduction of the technology "Solid Water", according to the authors of the development, will halve the cost of irrigation and the amount of water sufficient for growing crops.
The studies are conducted under the guidance of scientists of the Voronezh State University of the Department of Analytical Chemistry (under the direction of Professor V. Selemenev) and the Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry (under the direction of Professor V. Semenov). The initiator and project manager is the rector of the university –D. Yendovitsky.
The idea proposed by Voronezh experts has its own history. The first to offer a similar technology, then called “Solid Rain,” was Mexican scientist Sergio Velasco. For all its effectiveness, the cost of such a solution turned out to be very high, which determined the inappropriateness of its practical application. After analyzing the limitations of this and other existing technologies, scientists proposed using their own methods, which allowed to obtain an inexpensive product that can solve the problem of effective irrigation at a qualitatively new level.
The drug is a compact, small in size granules, a kilogram of which is able to accumulate up to 500 liters of water. In this case, the volume of the granules themselves increases by 100 times. The action of the sorbent is based on the properties of water. Once in the polymer matrix, water forms bonds with its walls, acquiring ice structures and fixing in the sorbent. It is this quality that underlies the name of the product “Solid Water”. With a decrease in the soil moisture level around the granules below a certain level, the bonds with the matrix break and the fluid structure changes, which allows it to be released into the soil.
To start irrigation, the field is “sown” with a sorbent and watered abundantly with water. After that, the sorbent begins to work in automatic mode, providing the required level of moisture for the plants. When lowering the level below the threshold value, the granules give the soil an insufficient amount of water. When it rains, on the contrary, they get water to the maximum of their capabilities. According to scientists, a single filling of the polymer with water may be enough to provide the soil with sufficient moisture throughout the growing season. A huge plus is that the granules proposed by scientists are not washed out of the soil, which makes it possible to effectively use them in the right mode for 5 to 10 years in a row.
“The amount of sorbent introduced into the soil is determined by the type of plants grown on it and their water needs,” explained Professor Vladimir Selemenev.
The development of scientists at Voronezh University, in their opinion, is superior to existing foreign counterparts. The first significant advantage is almost half the cost of the product. More specifically, the cost of 1 kg of “Voronezh” solid water will cost $ 10-12, while the price of the best foreign samples starts at $ 20 and above.
An equally significant advantage is the ability of the sorbent to accumulate not only water from the soil, but also water-soluble fertilizers and microelements, which effectively saturates the root system of plants with nutrients. At the same time, waterlogging and salting of the soil are frequent satellites of traditional irrigation, when adding granules are minimized.
One of the innovations brought by the scientists of Voronezh University is the ability of their sorbent not to decay in winter. This makes it possible to exclude the seasonal removal of “solid water” from the soil, which for many Russian regions with a harsh climate is of particular importance.
A key advantage of the “solid water” technology is its economic efficiency, significantly exceeding the efficiency of drip irrigation. Scientists have estimated that the use of a sorbent can reduce the amount of moisture consumed that is sufficient for optimal soil moisture, compared with the amount consumed in traditional irrigation by 50%. The fact that plant protection products and water-soluble fertilizers are not washed out of the soil contributes to lower economic costs.
Field tests of the prototype were carried out at the experimental sites of the VGAU im. Emperor Peter I under the leadership of Professor Alexei Lukin.
“Solid water”, according to scientists, is an indispensable tool for growing crops in arid regions. Such regions, for example, can become the south of the Voronezh region, Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, etc. If the scientists’ forecasts are justified, then the value of the development could very well go beyond both the listed regions and the country as a whole.
A source
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Scientists of the Department of Chemistry of Voronezh State University proposed a drastic change in the situation. Instead of liquid water, they suggested using a special water-intensive granular sorbent that can be applied to the soil along with fertilizers. As the soil dries, the granules begin to discharge water into the soil to the desired level of saturation. The introduction of the technology "Solid Water", according to the authors of the development, will halve the cost of irrigation and the amount of water sufficient for growing crops.
The studies are conducted under the guidance of scientists of the Voronezh State University of the Department of Analytical Chemistry (under the direction of Professor V. Selemenev) and the Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry (under the direction of Professor V. Semenov). The initiator and project manager is the rector of the university –D. Yendovitsky.
The idea proposed by Voronezh experts has its own history. The first to offer a similar technology, then called “Solid Rain,” was Mexican scientist Sergio Velasco. For all its effectiveness, the cost of such a solution turned out to be very high, which determined the inappropriateness of its practical application. After analyzing the limitations of this and other existing technologies, scientists proposed using their own methods, which allowed to obtain an inexpensive product that can solve the problem of effective irrigation at a qualitatively new level.
How it works
The drug is a compact, small in size granules, a kilogram of which is able to accumulate up to 500 liters of water. In this case, the volume of the granules themselves increases by 100 times. The action of the sorbent is based on the properties of water. Once in the polymer matrix, water forms bonds with its walls, acquiring ice structures and fixing in the sorbent. It is this quality that underlies the name of the product “Solid Water”. With a decrease in the soil moisture level around the granules below a certain level, the bonds with the matrix break and the fluid structure changes, which allows it to be released into the soil.
To start irrigation, the field is “sown” with a sorbent and watered abundantly with water. After that, the sorbent begins to work in automatic mode, providing the required level of moisture for the plants. When lowering the level below the threshold value, the granules give the soil an insufficient amount of water. When it rains, on the contrary, they get water to the maximum of their capabilities. According to scientists, a single filling of the polymer with water may be enough to provide the soil with sufficient moisture throughout the growing season. A huge plus is that the granules proposed by scientists are not washed out of the soil, which makes it possible to effectively use them in the right mode for 5 to 10 years in a row.
“The amount of sorbent introduced into the soil is determined by the type of plants grown on it and their water needs,” explained Professor Vladimir Selemenev.
The advantage of domestic development
The development of scientists at Voronezh University, in their opinion, is superior to existing foreign counterparts. The first significant advantage is almost half the cost of the product. More specifically, the cost of 1 kg of “Voronezh” solid water will cost $ 10-12, while the price of the best foreign samples starts at $ 20 and above.
An equally significant advantage is the ability of the sorbent to accumulate not only water from the soil, but also water-soluble fertilizers and microelements, which effectively saturates the root system of plants with nutrients. At the same time, waterlogging and salting of the soil are frequent satellites of traditional irrigation, when adding granules are minimized.
One of the innovations brought by the scientists of Voronezh University is the ability of their sorbent not to decay in winter. This makes it possible to exclude the seasonal removal of “solid water” from the soil, which for many Russian regions with a harsh climate is of particular importance.
A key advantage of the “solid water” technology is its economic efficiency, significantly exceeding the efficiency of drip irrigation. Scientists have estimated that the use of a sorbent can reduce the amount of moisture consumed that is sufficient for optimal soil moisture, compared with the amount consumed in traditional irrigation by 50%. The fact that plant protection products and water-soluble fertilizers are not washed out of the soil contributes to lower economic costs.
Field tests of the prototype were carried out at the experimental sites of the VGAU im. Emperor Peter I under the leadership of Professor Alexei Lukin.
“Solid water”, according to scientists, is an indispensable tool for growing crops in arid regions. Such regions, for example, can become the south of the Voronezh region, Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, etc. If the scientists’ forecasts are justified, then the value of the development could very well go beyond both the listed regions and the country as a whole.
A source
Dear readers, we are always happy to meet and wait for you on the pages of our blog. We are ready to continue to share with you the latest news, review articles and other publications and will try to do our best to make the time spent with us useful for you. And, of course, do not forget to subscribe to our sections .
Our other articles and events