Riverbank Filtration Technology at the Nexus of Water-Energy-Food

Riverbank filtration (RBF) is a proven water treatment technology that permits the indirect abstraction and treatment of surface water, which can then be applied to cultivate land and produce high-value crops that currently cannot be grown with polluted river water. Field studies, one from Jordan and one from India, are discussed and evidence is presented illustrating the benefits of converting an RBF well field from a conventional, grid-operated system to a solar-energy-powered one. Further, the two studies demonstrate how an RBF treatment system enables farmers to irrigate with treated river water that otherwise would be too polluted to be used on crops and plants. The results of this analysis suggest that affordable RBF systems can be designed to meet the irrigation water needs of small farming communities, to increase both crop yields and quality, and to offer a degree of independence from the electrical grid