**Author details**

cuts. The average yield for the area irrigated with brackish water was 30.82 ton/ha, while the

The use of desalinated water for agricultural irrigation increased the productivity of sorghum and tomatillo (*Physalis philadelphica*) crops. This means that wells with high salinity in the region can be utilized for irrigation through the use of desalination systems. In this sense, public and private investments in desalination in the rural sector are viable in the short term. Cations and anions from the well water were successfully removed by the use of SWC4 membranes in an RO system. The operating parameters of the desalination process, such as pressure drop through the membrane modules, multimedia filter and cartridge filters, were below the limits and within the correct operating standards, which ensured a flow rate of 1.5–1.7 L/s

electrical energy to operate the high pressure pump represented 70% of the total cost. Clearly, desalination processes need to incorporate renewable energy generation processes to reduce their environmental impact. In this energetic context, it is concluded that vegetables such as tomatillo have a higher profit in the market, compared to the sale of grains such as sorghum. This research project and other authors reaffirm that for the economic viability of desalination applied to agriculture, there must be a coupling of desalinated water using irrigation tapes for crops of high commercial value, with renewable energy such as solar

The performance of the *Physalis philadelphica* and Sorghum are greatly improved by using tapes and sensory equipment, to apply irrigation as required and to decrease the concentration of salts in the irrigation water. It is concluded that the objective of the project has been satisfactorily achieved. Finally, it is concluded that with the use of desalination, producers will not need to worry about planting crops that support or tolerate the concentration of salts from their wells, since they will be able to establish high yield and high commercial value crops. Notably, the cost of production is a success factor in places where desalination is applied, such as agriculture and others. It is also necessary to continue investigating the incorporation

The authors acknowledge funding granted by Fundación PRODUCE Sonora, A. C., and the Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, for the realization of this research project. Special thanks also to Alejandro Méndez, who facilitated the agricultural land and the use of the brackish well for

. The cost of using

section irrigated with desalinated water yielded 35.88 ton/ha (**Figure 6**).

The total cost of producing the desalinated water was 0.338 USD \$/m<sup>3</sup>

of permeate, as well as a high rejection above 92%.

of electric energy from renewable sources.

**Acknowledgements**

the desalination plant operation.

**4. Conclusions**

14 Desalination and Water Treatment

photovoltaic.

Germán Eduardo Dévora-Isiordia1 , María del Rosario Martínez-Macías<sup>1</sup> , Ma. Araceli Correa-Murrieta1 , Jesús Álvarez-Sánchez1 and Gustavo Adolfo Fimbres-Weihs2 \*

\*Address all correspondence to: gustavo.fimbres@itson.edu.mx

1 Departamento de Ciencias del Agua y Medio Ambiente, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, Cd. Obregón, Sonora, México

2 CONACYT-ITSON, Departamento de Ciencias del Agua y Medio Ambiente, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, Cd. Obregón, Sonora, México
