Solar-powered electromagnetic conditioning of saline groundwater: an exploratory assessment of ionic composition and soil-extract salinity

Abstract

Saline groundwater is a difficult irrigation source in arid and off-grid areas, but a conditioning device must not be described as a desalination process unless net salt removal is demonstrated. This exploratory pilot assessment examined a photovoltaic-powered electromagnetic coil installed around a non-conductive irrigation pipe in Egypt. The documented assembly included a 1040-turn copper coil, a rated 450 W photovoltaic module, a 12 V 80 Ah battery, and a rated 1 kW inverter. Magnetic-field strength, coil current, irradiance, and energy consumption were not instrumentally logged; therefore, the previously stated 19 mT field and energy-efficiency claims were not retained as measured results. Saline groundwater (untreated EC 17.11 dS m⁻ 1 ) was sampled after nominal treatment settings of 60, 300, and 360 s. EC remained between 16.73 and 16.84 dS m⁻ 1 . The sum of measured ionic charge (Ca 2 ⁺, Mg 2 ⁺, Cl⁻, and HCO₃⁻) varied non-monotonically from 178.8 mmol of charge L⁻ 1 in untreated water to 168.9, 180.8, and 166.5 mmol of charge L⁻ 1 , respectively. Chloride declined descriptively from 102.2 to 91.0 mmol of charge L⁻ 1 at 360 s, but Na⁺, K⁺, SO₄ 2 ⁻, total dissolved solids, precipitated phases, and analytical uncertainty were not available; consequently, neither chloride removal nor ionic mass conservation could be established. A soil composite collected 24 h after irrigation had an ECe of 4.88 dS m⁻ 1 compared with 33.3 dS m⁻ 1 at baseline. Because independently replicated untreated-water irrigation control, drainage measurements, and spatially resolved soil data were unavailable, this difference cannot be attributed specifically to electromagnetic conditioning. The pilot demonstrates an off-grid experimental configuration and descriptive changes that justify controlled follow-up trials, but it does not demonstrate desalination, enhanced leaching, causal soil-remediation effect, or a validated physical mechanism.