System for the recovery and circular management of rainwater for irrigation

Abstract

The present invention could provide a practical, effective and reliable solution for providing self-contained and automatic complementary irrigation for rain-fed trees, through the rainwater recovery and circular management system which consists in installing a rainwater recovery tank buried at the foot of the tree and supplied from a basin mounted above, this basin, buried at a depth of approximately 100 cm from the surface, recovering the water collected by an open channel which is also below the surface of the soil and is at a slight gradient to ensure that the water flows. The system is able to perform programmable and automatic irrigations by means of a mini electric pump controlled by a watering programmer powered by a solar panel, and water diffusers located 30 cm underground and 45 cm above the basin, helping to create an underground zone of moist soil at a level that allows the roots to take up the water, while the excess water automatically returns to the basin.

Description

RAINWATER RECOVERY AND CIRCULAR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR IRRIGATION

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of agricultural irrigation.

[0002] The present invention relates more particularly, but not exclusively, to the supplementary irrigation of rain-fed trees such as olive trees, almond trees, pistachio trees, etc.

[0003] Due to the scarcity of rain and the succession of dry seasons, resulting from more or less critical climate changes, it has become necessary to carry out additional irrigation by providing extra quantities of water, on the one hand to preserve the life of its trees, and on the other hand to improve their productivity.

[0004] In this field, several techniques have already been adopted: Basin irrigation: where the basins consist of earthen basins with a relatively flat bottom, surrounded by low dikes. These dikes are designed to prevent water from reaching adjacent fields. Sprinkler irrigation: This technique was designed based on the model of natural rainfall. Water is pumped under pressure through a network of pipes and then distributed by rotating sprinklers in the form of artificial rain. Jar irrigation: this technique relies on the use of large clay pots fired at low temperatures, which are buried up to their necks and then filled with water. This allows the roots of trees to be irrigated, as they slowly absorb the water diffused through the porous walls.Barrel irrigation: This principle often uses plastic or metal barrels with holes in the bottom, with a capacity of about 200 liters, placed at the base of the tree, thus ensuring a slow infiltration of water.

[0005] All the techniques mentioned above have many drawbacks in terms of the amount of water wasted, much of which is lost either through evaporation or rapid infiltration into the lower layers of the earth, as well as the total lack of automatic control.

[0006] A first objective of the present invention is to have a method which ensures the irrigation autonomy of a tree throughout an agricultural year, by creating a mechanism which allows the available quantity of rainwater to be collected and stored and used later for supplementary irrigation.

[0007] A second goal is to propose an irrigation system that addresses all the problems already mentioned, namely by reducing water losses almost to zero, then putting the collected water directly at the level of the tree roots, and also making the irrigation process completely automated.

[0008] The circular rainwater harvesting and management system for irrigation consists of installing an underground rainwater harvesting tank at the base of the tree to be irrigated. This tank is fed from a suitably sized basin above it. This basin, buried at a level of approximately 100 cm below the surface, collects rainwater gathered by an open channel during rainy periods, ensuring slower irrigation. The excess then condenses in the tank below, which will later be used for supplementary irrigation via an electric pump powered by a solar energy system.

[0009] A compact and self-contained water self-sufficiency system consists of: An open channel to collect and direct rainwater droplets infiltrating the saturated soil into a basin, covering an area of ​​approximately 15 square meters. An upper basin to retain the collected water, equipped with a water filter through which excess water passes to the lower reservoir. A storage tank for the collected water, with a capacity of approximately 1000 liters. A mini electric pump to draw water from the reservoir and inject it into a section of land located directly above the basin. An irrigation timer (pump controller) designed to operate the electric pump, which can be used in manual mode or according to an irrigation schedule. Water distribution pipes containing diffusers. A solar panel with an integrated battery to power the system.

[0010] In general, olive trees and rain-fed trees that require supplemental irrigation are mainly distributed in geographical areas where rainfall varies between approximately 200 and 600 mm annually. This means that if we take an average of 400 mm and place the open channel at a depth of 30 cm at its point closest to the ground surface, it can collect up to 15% of the rainfall. Considering that the surface area of ​​the channel is approximately 15 square meters, the amount of water collected will therefore be:

[0011] 400 liters * 15% * 15 square meters = 900 liters

[0012] By placing the storage tank underground and protected from light and all other climatic conditions, it is ensured that the water collected gradually during the rainy seasons and stored in the main reservoir can retain all its mineral characteristics necessary for proper irrigation.

[0013] This rainwater harvesting and circular management system operates automatically to perform three main tasks: Rainwater harvesting, storage of harvested water, and irrigation using circular water management.

[0014] This system allows rainwater to be absorbed by infiltration through the saturated soil during the rainy seasons.

[0015] The recovery area for this system is estimated at approximately 15 square meters, which is equivalent to 9 cubic meters of soil.

[0016] This recovered water will be injected into the soil again during critical periods, concentrating it in a more precise area, with an estimated surface area of ​​1.5 square meters, or a volume of approximately 1 cubic meter of soil, which will allow us to create a permanently wet zone, located between 30 and 100 cm from the soil surface with a width of 100 cm and a length of 150 cm, this allows the tree roots to more easily absorb the water they will need.

[0017] The invention will be better understood by studying a first example of its realization, taken as a non-limiting example, illustrated in the attached figures.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining self-sufficient irrigation of a tree (rainwater) throughout an agricultural year, characterized in that a partially buried system, containing a first part for rainwater recovery, and which consists of an open channel to conduct the recovered water to a basin, this collection basin contains a water filter, a second part for storage represented by an underground tank is located under the basin having a volume of approximately 1000 liters, and a third part of the irrigation process which consists of a mini pump controlled by a watering timer, and pipes containing water diffusers.

2. A method for obtaining self-irrigation of a tree according to claim 1, characterized by the creation of a layer of permanently moist soil located between the watering pipes and the collection basin.

3. Method of obtaining irrigation autonomy for a tree according to claims 1 and 2, characterized by the permanent reuse of water infiltrating from the wetland located above the basin.

4. Closed-loop rainwater harvesting and reuse system, which is characterized by its composition of an open buried channel to collect and direct water droplets infiltrating from the rainwater-saturated soil, a basin to retain the collected water containing a filter through which the water passes to a reservoir located below, an electric pump controlled by an irrigation timer, water distribution pipes ending in diffusers, and a solar panel to power the system.

5. Rainwater harvesting and closed-loop reuse system according to claim 4, characterized in that the depth of the open channel is approximately 30 centimeters at its point closest to the surface.

6. Rainwater harvesting and closed-loop reuse system according to claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the open channel covers an area of ​​approximately 15 square meters.

7. Rainwater harvesting and closed-loop reuse system according to claim 4, characterized in that the water diffusers are buried at a depth of 25 to 30 cm from the surface.

8. Rainwater recovery and closed-loop reuse system according to claim 4, characterized in that an outlet column from the reservoir supports the water distribution pipes.

9. Rainwater recovery and closed-circuit reuse system according to claims 4 and 8, characterized in that the aerial part of the column supports a housing containing the mini pump and the watering timer.

10. Rainwater harvesting and closed-loop reuse system, according to claims 4, 8 and 9, characterized in that the column contains a water level indicator.

11. Rainwater harvesting and closed-loop reuse system according to claims 4, 8, 9 and 10, characterized in that the column represents a support for the solar panel.

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