Hydrogen peroxide treatment of manganese clogged SDI emitters
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Dissolved manganese in irrigation water has contributed to emitter clogging of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) systems in the Texas High Plains. During the 2002 growing season, areas of clogged emitters occurred in a 6-ha research field at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Halfway, Texas. Water samples from the irrigation source were analyzed and SDI emitters in the affected areas were uncovered and examined in a laboratory setting. Evaluations indicated clogging was caused primarily by manganese oxides deposited inside SDI laterals and emitters. Observations of reactions of manganese compounds with combinations of acids and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) resulted in a protocol that dissolved these oxides in open laboratory containers. Further tests examined pressurized sections of excavated, clogged SDI laterals with H2O2/acid solutions for periods of up to 96 hours. This exercise led to the successful field treatment that cleared clogged emitters at the research site. Continued maintenance of the research system involved the injection of 2.5 ppm H2O2 in slightly acidic irrigation water during normal irrigation. Issues with the use of these procedures include human safety, due to the caustic nature of the required materials, and high chemical cost.
