Anti-clogging Technology for Drip Irrigation in Saline-Alkali Land: Treatment of High-Mineralized Water and Pipeline Maintenance

Anti-clogging Technology for Drip Irrigation in Saline-Alkali Land: Treatment of High-Mineralized Water and Pipeline Maintenance

When using drip irrigation systems in saline-alkali land, the irrigation water itself has a high salt content (high mineralization), which easily leads to salt crystallization in the drippers and pipes, causing blockages and system failure. Therefore, effective anti-clogging technology must focus on two core aspects: water source filtration and system maintenance, and develop targeted solutions.

Filtration is the first line of defense against blockages, and the key lies in multi-stage fine treatment. For high-salt water containing sand, it must first pass through a sand filter or centrifugal filter to remove most suspended particles. Subsequently, a series of disc filters or mesh filters must be used for fine filtration to intercept tiny particles that may form crystal nuclei. In some cases, special chemical agents need to be added to the irrigation water to inhibit salt crystallization or to cause it to form soft, easily washed-away flocs. Regularly inspecting and cleaning each stage of the filter to ensure its normal operation is the foundation for maintaining smooth system flow.

Proactive maintenance of the pipeline system is crucial for ensuring long-term operation. Even after filtration, trace amounts of salt can still slowly accumulate at the end of the system (especially inside the drippers). Therefore, a regular flushing system is necessary: at the end of each irrigation cycle, flush all levels of pipes and capillary tubes with a low-concentration acid solution or clean water in reverse or at a high flow rate to dissolve and flush out the deposited salt scale. Furthermore, selecting drippers with strong anti-clogging properties (such as large-channel, self-flushing types) and appropriately increasing the water flow velocity within the pipes in the design also helps reduce salt deposition.

Through a comprehensive strategy of "prevention through fine filtration and proactive removal through regular flushing," the drip irrigation clogging problem caused by the high mineralization of water in saline-alkali land can be effectively addressed. This not only ensures the stable operation and uniformity of the irrigation system but also makes it possible to use slightly saline water or treated saline-alkali water for efficient water-saving irrigation, providing important technical support for the sustainable development of agriculture in saline-alkali land.