Incorporating a seawater desalination scheme in the optimal water use in agricultural activities

Seawater desalination process is analyzed in this paper as an option for reducing the groundwater usage of overexploited aquifers in irrigated agriculture. The proposed approach is based on a new superstructure formulated as a multiobjective mixed integer nonlinear programming model, where power requirements of the desalination process and agriculture activity are supplied by an integrated steam Rankine cycle fed of solar energy and fossil fuels. The multiobjective function includes the minimization of the groundwater consumption and the minimization of the total annual cost; this cost is divided into the capital cost which consists of the catchment area, desalination process, power cycle and pumps, as well as the operating costs for pumping, fossil fuels, groundwater and desalinated seawater. A case study for the state of Sonora in Mexico was considered to show the applicability of the proposed approach. Results show that the maximum saving for groundwater consumption is about 66% with the proposed method.

Automated summary

The paper analyzes the seawater desalination process as a solution for reducing groundwater usage in irrigated agriculture. A multiobjective mixed integer nonlinear programming model is proposed, with a case study in Sonora, Mexico showing a potential 66% reduction in groundwater consumption.