BGU Experts Offer Smart Strategies for Sustainable Water Solutions

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BGU Experts Offer Smart Strategies for Sustainable Water Solutions

The Zuckerberg Institute at Ben-Gurion University's  water research experts offer smart strategies for sustainable water solutions, especially for the drought-prone Middle East.

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Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research in Israel

Whether due to necessity (67% of Israel is covered by desert) or the country's general enthusiastic approach toward scientific and technological innovation, Israel has become a world leader in sustainable water solutions.

Professor Noam Weisbrod, the genial head of BGU’s Zuckerberg Institute, and his team of 21 faculty members, as well as some 25 Ph.D. students and 50 graduate students, are currently conducting experiments to turn seawater, brackish water and even wastewater into usable water faster and cheaper than it is currently.

Seawater Desalination

In Israel, seawater desalination accounts for 60 percent of the total freshwater supply.  It goes without saying that they have some valuable insights into this process! Yet the labs at the Zuckerberg Institute continue to perfect membranes and filters to turn seawater into fresh water.

Saline Groundwater Desalination

The Zuckerberg Institute's researchers found another innovative solution for producing safe drinking water. Their study, which was published in Environmental Science & Technology, determined that brackish (saline) groundwater from coastal aquifers is a better alternative water source than seawater for reverse osmosis (RO) desalination due to reduced membrane fouling and pre-treatment costs.

Graywater  Solutions

The process of turning wastewater generated in households or office buildings (except for toilet wastewater) is known as graywater. But for years, many people questioned the safety of graywater for irrigation, wondering if it posed a risk for gastrointestinal illness or water-related diseases.

A study conducted by BGU's Zuckerberg Institute confirmed that treated graywater for irrigation is safe and does not cause gastrointestinal illness.

The study, published in the online journal Science of the Total Environment (Elsevier), determined that there was no additional incidence of gastroenteritis or water-related diseases caused by the use of treated graywater in gardens, even when compared to tap water and other irrigation water sources.

Israel is a pioneer in innovative safe-water solutions and continues to provide solutions for the water crisis across the globe. The Zuckerberg Institute’s work provides a window into how Israel leads the world in managing water — and what other countries can learn from them.

Read more: Jerusalem Online

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