Assessing the Performance of a Subsurface Water Retention System (SWRS) Prototype: First Evaluation of Work Productivity and Costs
The potential to use Subsurface Water Retention Systems (SWRSs) to combat desertification and improve agriculture in arid and semiarid areas has already been investigated and proved promising. Nevertheless, a lack of specific machinery has prevented this technology from demonstrating its effectivene...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Inventions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5134/7/1/25 |
| _version_ | 1797470598025183232 |
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| author | Luigi Pari Walter Stefanoni Nadia Palmieri Francesco Latterini |
| author_facet | Luigi Pari Walter Stefanoni Nadia Palmieri Francesco Latterini |
| author_sort | Luigi Pari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The potential to use Subsurface Water Retention Systems (SWRSs) to combat desertification and improve agriculture in arid and semiarid areas has already been investigated and proved promising. Nevertheless, a lack of specific machinery has prevented this technology from demonstrating its effectiveness on vast areas. In the present study, a specific prototype is presented along with the results obtained from a preliminary study conducted to assess effectiveness, performance and associated cost. During the test, the machinery permitted the construction of a SWRS 100 cm belowground using a 140 kW tractor. The effective field capacity (EFC) averaged at 0.19 ha h<sup>−1</sup> whilst total cost was estimated to be as high as 4800.00 € ha<sup>−1</sup>. However, 93% of the cost was associated with the purchase cost of the removable impermeable film. A removal operation was also investigated using a 42 kW excavator for evaluating the EFC and cost which averaged at 0.2 ha h<sup>−1</sup> and 655.79 € ha<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:38:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-446fb679b90c4e26ac49ae49fff84af1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2411-5134 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:38:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Inventions |
| spelling | doaj.art-446fb679b90c4e26ac49ae49fff84af12023-11-24T01:45:12ZengMDPI AGInventions2411-51342022-02-01712510.3390/inventions7010025Assessing the Performance of a Subsurface Water Retention System (SWRS) Prototype: First Evaluation of Work Productivity and CostsLuigi Pari0Walter Stefanoni1Nadia Palmieri2Francesco Latterini3Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e L’analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA)—Centro di Ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni Agroalimentari, Via della Pascolare 16, Monterotondo, 00015 Rome, ItalyConsiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e L’analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA)—Centro di Ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni Agroalimentari, Via della Pascolare 16, Monterotondo, 00015 Rome, ItalyConsiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e L’analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA)—Centro di Ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni Agroalimentari, Via della Pascolare 16, Monterotondo, 00015 Rome, ItalyConsiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e L’analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA)—Centro di Ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni Agroalimentari, Via della Pascolare 16, Monterotondo, 00015 Rome, ItalyThe potential to use Subsurface Water Retention Systems (SWRSs) to combat desertification and improve agriculture in arid and semiarid areas has already been investigated and proved promising. Nevertheless, a lack of specific machinery has prevented this technology from demonstrating its effectiveness on vast areas. In the present study, a specific prototype is presented along with the results obtained from a preliminary study conducted to assess effectiveness, performance and associated cost. During the test, the machinery permitted the construction of a SWRS 100 cm belowground using a 140 kW tractor. The effective field capacity (EFC) averaged at 0.19 ha h<sup>−1</sup> whilst total cost was estimated to be as high as 4800.00 € ha<sup>−1</sup>. However, 93% of the cost was associated with the purchase cost of the removable impermeable film. A removal operation was also investigated using a 42 kW excavator for evaluating the EFC and cost which averaged at 0.2 ha h<sup>−1</sup> and 655.79 € ha<sup>−1</sup>, respectively.https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5134/7/1/25climate changedesertificationrainwater harvestingwork performance |
| spellingShingle | Luigi Pari Walter Stefanoni Nadia Palmieri Francesco Latterini Assessing the Performance of a Subsurface Water Retention System (SWRS) Prototype: First Evaluation of Work Productivity and Costs Inventions climate change desertification rainwater harvesting work performance |
| title | Assessing the Performance of a Subsurface Water Retention System (SWRS) Prototype: First Evaluation of Work Productivity and Costs |
| title_full | Assessing the Performance of a Subsurface Water Retention System (SWRS) Prototype: First Evaluation of Work Productivity and Costs |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the Performance of a Subsurface Water Retention System (SWRS) Prototype: First Evaluation of Work Productivity and Costs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the Performance of a Subsurface Water Retention System (SWRS) Prototype: First Evaluation of Work Productivity and Costs |
| title_short | Assessing the Performance of a Subsurface Water Retention System (SWRS) Prototype: First Evaluation of Work Productivity and Costs |
| title_sort | assessing the performance of a subsurface water retention system swrs prototype first evaluation of work productivity and costs |
| topic | climate change desertification rainwater harvesting work performance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5134/7/1/25 |
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