Sprinkler Irrigation of Potato Processing Waste for Treatment and Disposal on Land

Potato processing and other food industries discharge large volumes of waste water generally characterized by high chemical oxygen demand (COD), large amounts of suspended solids, and various inorganic constituents including nitrogen and phosphorus (1, 2, 3). Applying these waste waters to agricultural land may (a) promote crop growth, (b) conserve water and nutrients otherwise wasted, (c) provide economic treatment of waste waters, and (d) decrease the pollution load on surface water supplies. (4) Wilcox (5) recommended using a variety of industrial effluents for agricultural irrigation and indicated that waste waters from paper pulp, potato and other food processing effluents generally are well suited for land disposal. Sprinkler irrigation with cannery and food processing waste water has been practiced in the United States for several years (6, 7, 8) and in Europe potato wastes have been disposed on land for over 100 years (9). Sprinkler irrigation was first used for waste disposal in the United States in 1947 and has expanded widely since that time. While sprinkler irrigation with waste water is expanding, there are limitations and restrictions that should be imposed on its use. Drake and Bier (10) indicated that (a) organic matter may accumulate on plants and provide a suitable environment for fungi and other harmful growths, (b) prolonged irrigation of a particular field may deteriorate the soil structure, (c) roots of plants may rot if soaked too often, and (d) plant diseases may spread from the processed products to the crops being irrigated. Nevertheless, sprinkler irrigating with food processing waste water is usually practical, simple in concept, straightforward in operation, and with careful planning and control adaptable to various soil conditions and terrain