Applications Compendium

One buried profile of polypropylene chambers, graded gravel and washed sand on an impermeable liner irrigates, drains, stores, filters and treats water, and this compendium sets out where that profile applies, which water sources each application accepts, and how it performs, with design notes for each.

Part I introduces the technology, the six layers of the profile, the gravity and capillary mechanism, and the Gulf record from 2007: Al Sammaleah Island, the Al Dahra greenhouses, Yas Island, the Royal Commission at Jubail, Al Salamat Park and the Sa'ad National Park pilot. Part II details the five core applications: passive sub-surface irrigation, stormwater management, grey-water re-use, black-water treatment and re-use, and sub-surface filtration and bioremediation, each with its water cycle, configurations, performance and a comparison with the conventional alternative.

Part III covers the four categories of acceptable water (black water, grey water, reclaimed water and TSE, and industrial waste water) with the pre-treatment each requires, then seawater, brackish and reject water, and water from fog and condensation. Part IV gives eight sector notes, each marked proven, emerging or both, from parks and sports turf to trees, date palms, green roofs and integration with buildings.

Part V works through a regional example for a high-rainfall island state, Palau, where one profile addresses flooding, road damage, reef protection and potable supply. Part VI catalogues 23 applications by maturity: six proven, seven emerging and ten experimental, the last extending the same physics into adjacent industries and needing prototype validation before commercial use.