The treatment performance and water flux across a hydrophilic tubular pervaporative membrane was investigated. For subsurface irrigation applications, the tube is filled with water and most contaminants are retained inside the tube while water permeates and evaporates through the membrane and enters the soil as vapor. Rejection of sodium chloride by the membrane in sand was > 99.8%, although salt permeation occurred when both sides of the tube were in contact with liquid water, simulating waterlogged soils. A model was developed to simulate water flow through the soil in both liquid and vapor phases. This successfully simulated experimental data for water flux, relative humidity and water content distribution in three soil types. Since water transport across the membrane is sensitive to soil water content, the uptake of water by plants drives the water flux across the membrane, suggesting the potential for an 'on demand' water-conservative irrigation technology. 

Pervaporative membrane filtration for subsurface irrigation

248th National Meeting (2014)

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