The İzmir Institute of Technology (İYTE) in Turkey is studying the possibility to reuse wastewater from geothermal plants for irrigation. Thanks to the natural richness in minerals of this water, this method is expected to increase agricultural production, while saving precious resources in clear compliance with the circularity principle.

Mineral-rich geothermal waters used for electricity, heating and tourism will first be treated to eliminate any potentially harmful substances and then cooled down to be employed as irrigation water in agriculture. The project is called “Water-Energy-Food Connection: Geothermal Water for Agriculture” and is supported by Ege University and TUBITAK (Turkey’s Scientific Research Centre).

Dr. Alper Baba, Project coordinator at IYTE, emphasised “Plants and soil want minerals. If you give plants a clean fluid rich in minerals, you accelerate their growth and increase the yield in a natural way. So, if the project is successful, we will increase the yield in agriculture with a natural method and reduce the need of fertilizers.” Prof. Baba also explained “First of all, we tried this in tomato production, but now we are working on several kinds of plantations”.

The first production trial is foreseen in March or April of 2021.

Source: Jesder

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