Reduction of the Na content of irrigation waters using chabaziterich tuff

Lab experiments showed that the Italian chabasite-rich tuff from Sorano (Grosseto) is able to remove Na from low quality irrigation waters, harmful for agriculture, and turn them into high quality waters. The treatment is obtained via a three steps process: water percolation through natural zeolitite bed, regeneration of the “exhausted” zeolitite with NH 4 or with K, and water percolation through the regenerated zeolitite. The quantity of treated water is inversely proportional to the content of Na of the original water. The efficiency of the zeolitite is slightly improved after regeneration. The process was successfully applied to a large-scale in two horticultural farms which supplied the irrigation waters utilized for the lab tests.