A Framework for Designing Profit-Optimized, Photovoltaic-Powered, Brackish Groundwater Electrodialysis Desalination Systems for Drip Irrigation
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weizer-bweizer-sm-meche-2026-thesis.pdf
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Author(s)
Weizer, Benjamin T.
Advisor(s)
Winter V., Amos G.
Date Issued
February 2026
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
World hunger is driving the need for improvements in resilient and sustainable food production, creating an opportunity to use unconventional water sources in agriculture. Small scale, off-grid desalination systems for brackish groundwater could help improve smallholder resilience in regions like the Middle East and North Africa. Current work on designing desalination systems for irrigation does not adequately model the time-variant interactions between photovoltaic-powered desalination and irrigation systems. This paper presents a design framework for integrated electrodialysis desalination and drip irrigation systems sharing photovoltaic power that optimizes for maximum farmer profit. The framework incorporates electrodialysis and crop-growth models to simulate an entire farm system and calculate its cost and revenue generation. This framework was applied to a series of simulated case studies in Morocco and Jordan spanning farms between 3-24 hectares in area growing potatoes, green beans, or tomatoes with accessibility to brackish water between 2000-6000 ppm NaCl in concentration. Results show that optimal systems typically produce only 19 to 36\% of peak daily irrigation demand on the peak day by strategically managing soil moisture and reservoir storage to allow some water stress while keeping high yields. Profitability outcomes vary strongly with crop value, irrigation demand, and water salinity, with high-value, salt sensitive crops and moderate demand conditions emerging as the most favorable use cases; in this study, that included a tomato farm in Jordan due to high profit margins, high yield, and a rainy season that irrigation supplemented. The integrated photovoltaic array is smaller than sizing separate arrays for desalination and irrigation, resulting in a lower cost. Overall, the presented design framework has the potential to lower the cost of desalination for agriculture, allowing more widespread adoption.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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