Israel Environment Bulletin Summer 1997-5758, Vol. 20, No. 3
ISRAEL'S ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES
In a country with limited land, water, energy and other natural resources,
environmental research is by no means a luxuryit is a matter of survival
itself. In order to absorb and feed a rapidly growing population and at
the same time to develop advanced industries, Israel has had to find ways
to use every available meter of land, ray of sunshine and drop of water
while at the same time ensuring that its intensive use of resources will
not harm the environment. Yet, paradoxically, these very constraints have
challenged Israeli scientists to develop a host of new
technologiesplacing Israel at the forefront of world developments in a
number of environmental fields.
Water Management
As a country plagued by water scarcity, Israel was forced to develop
innovative ways to manage its minimal water resources and to make every
drop count. Since surface and groundwater sources are not sufficient to
meet the demands of a growing population and economyIsrael's per capita
water potential is among the lowest in the worldthe country has had to
increase its development and use of treated wastewater, brackish water and
water harvesting (collection, storage and use of storm runoff).
Israel is a world leader in the development of drip irrigation, a
technique by which relatively small amounts of water are delivered
directly to the roots of growing plants. When the flow of water is
controlled by sensors linked to central computers, drip and other forms of
micro-irrigation can reduce water use by at least one-third, depending
upon the crop. These techniques have the further advantage of reducing
such adverse environmental impacts as increased salination which are
associated with continuous irrigation. By enabling farmers to deliver
precise quantities of fertilizers as well as water directly to the plant,
fertilizer contamination of soils and groundwater is reduced.
Since much of the water now used for irrigation is brackish, agricultural
research has catalyzed the development of crops which either require a
minimal amount of water or are able to thrive on brackish water. Thanks to
the development of new plant strains that are bred specifically for these
conditions, crop yields are constantly on the increase while fresh water
is preserved for domestic consumption.
The combination of severe water shortage, contamination of water
resources, densely- populated urban areas and highly intensive irrigated
agriculture has placed wastewater treatment and reuse high on the list of
Israel's national priorities. Effluents constitute the most readily
available and cheapest source of additional water and provide a
viablealthough partialsolution to Israel's water scarcity problem.
Israel today is a world leader in wastewater recycling, which now accounts
for some 30% of total supply, up from 3% two decades ago. Through
recycling of urban wastewater for irrigation purposes, in accordance with
strict permits issued by the Ministry of Health, the country not only
saves precious freshwater but prevents environmental damage caused by
indiscriminate discharge of wastewater to streams and seas.
Israel's water scarcity problem is exacerbated by the fact that over half
of the country's land area constitutes an arid desert. Strategies
implemented since the creation of the country in 1948 have succeeded not
only in pushing the edge of the desert southward, but actually reversing
the process of desertification. Using a number of innovative methods,
including harvesting techniquessome of which were first employed two
thousand years ago by the Nabatean inhabitants of the arearainfall and
runoff are redirected, and relatively highly-productive patches are
created within the desert landscape. Israeli scientists have succeeded in
tripling the species diversity of annuals and in bringing about a tenfold
increase in total plant productivity in areas where climatic conditions do
not permit woodlands or shrubs to grow without substantial human
intervention. As a world leader in arid zone management, including
afforestation, water harvesting, water and soil conservation, and use of
saline water, Israel is taking an active part in regional and
international efforts to combat desertification.
Technological Developments in Water Treatment
The priority granted to water and wastewater treatment in Israel is
mirrored in the accelerated development of new technologies in this field.
One innovative program, known as the technological incubator, provides
support for the incipient stage of research and development initiated by
the individual inventor or entrepreneur. The program, which was initiated
by the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Industry and Trade
just over five years ago, has already enabled several innovative ideas to
develop and bloom. At the same time, several established companies have
been able to draw on the technological fruits of these incubators to
develop new products and to advance existing products.
Following is a representative sampling of some of the companies which are
currently developing water-related technologies within this framework:
- Bio-Treat Temed Ltd. specializes in the design and development of
specific biological treatment schemes for solving industrial wastewater
problems and for recuperating contaminated material. During the incubation
period, the company succeeded in developing a prototype kit for
bioremediation of water polluted by mineral oils used for lubrication by
car repair and car service shops.
- Qualifer Ltd. has developed a programmable, precise, pure composition
multi-layer sampler. The system will be used for monitoring groundwater
quality in existing and newly drilled wells.
- Elif Technologies Ltd. has developed an electro-catalytic method for
industrial wastewater treatment which leaves no sludge or any other solid
residue. Studies have proven the viability and efficiency of the process,
especially for industrial wastewater streams containing organic
constituents such as dyes (textile), detergents, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals and more. The company has already designed and installed a
complete wastewater treatment plant at a fowl-meat processing plant and
has installed industrial pilot plants at textile dyeing and plywood
manufacturing plants.
While technological incubators represent the initial stages of research
and development, a wide variety of environmental technologies have already
reached full commercializationmaking a mark not only in Israel but
worldwide. Following is a small sampling:
- VerdEco Technologies Ltd., a newly formed company, is striving to become
a leading provider of monitoring, analysis and control solutions for water
in natural urban and industrial environments. Its first product, a
reliable, real time, low cost monitor, is capable of automatically
analyzing the contents of toxic heavy metals in industrial wastewater. It
can detect traces of lead, nickel, copper, cadmium and other heavy metals,
down to 50 ppb, at high accuracy and sensitivity.
- Polysiv Plastic Products Ltd. has developed a system for manhole control
units which enables convenient access for ongoing maintenance of sewage
systems while preventing leakage to underground water. The company's
lightweight, easy to install, polyethylene units provide a sealed system
which prevents leakage to groundwater and is resistant to chemicals.
- Arrow Ecology Ltd. - Environmental Management Services has developed and
operates a mobile industrial wastewater treatment unit which can treat
industrial wastewater including acids, bases, chromates, cyanides and oily
wastewater. The unit consists of a wide variety of treatment facilities
including effluent filtration and sludge drying units. Another development
is a unique robot which can enter sludge lagoons or cooling towers to pump
out the sludge.
- E.P.C. Ltd. has developed an on-site wastewater treatment system which
is small, cheap, devoid of excess sludge and able to produce effluent
which is clean enough to irrigate public or private gardens. The system is
used for individual and small wastewater treatment plants and is designed
specifically for small village communities, farms, homes, picnic parks,
campgrounds and other facilities without a connection to main sewage
lines.
- Filtration Ltd. has developed a solution to the problem of the backwash
water of water treatment plants. Filtration's automatic self-cleaning
filter is designed to overcome the problems of water loss and
contamination by treating the backflush water to the plant source level
and returning it to the inlet of the main water treatment. It is intended
for use in industry, municipalities and agriculture.
Solar and Alternative Energy
Because Israel has almost no natural fuel sources other than its abundant
sunshine, it has become a world pioneer in the use of solar energy, not
only for low-tech domestic use but also in cutting-edge technologies for
solar power stations. As a result of university research carried out as
early as the 1950s, Israeli scientists were able to develop the first
solar absorption coatings, essentially black enamels that made it possible
for solar panels to retain a higher proportion of the sun's energy. This
development led to a decision to equip all residential and commercial
buildings in the country with solar water heaters. Today Israel produces
most of its domestic hot water and 3 percent of its national energy
balance from solar power, as well as exporting tens of thousands of solar
water heaters all over the world. An Israeli company was the first to
develop and install a fully functional large-scale solar-powered
electricity generating plant in South California's Mojave desert.
Israel's solar energy developments continue to gain international
recognition. Thus, in March 1997, McDonnell Douglas and Israel's Ormat
Industries Ltd., Rotem Industries Ltd. and the Weizmann Institute of
Science, through its commercial arm, Yeda Research and Development Co.
Ltd., were awarded a $5.3 million contract by the U.S.-Israel Science and
Technology Commission to jointly demonstrate the commercial feasibility of
an advanced solar-power plant capable of generating from hundreds of
kilowatts to tens of megawatts of power.
The novel U.S.-Israeli system uses special optics and an innovative air
receiver developed by the Weizmann Institute. These reflect, concentrate
and convert sunlight to provide the high temperatures necessary to
directly power gas and steam turbines in a combined cycle and thus
generate electricity. The flexibility to operate on either solar, gas, or
a combination of solar and gas will provide operational flexibility and
guarantee electricity even during inclement weather.
By the end of the century, the U.S.-Israeli team expects to develop an
operational 200-300 kilowatt system to be located at the Weizmann
Institute's solar research facility. Based on technologies which will be
tested and developed in this project, larger-scale commercial power
stations, capable of generating hundreds of kilowatts to tens of megawatts
of power, will then be set up. The collaboration's ultimate goal is to
develop an industrial productsolar power stations that will produce
electricity at competitive prices compared with those of existing power
stations.
It is estimated that 10 km2 of the Negev desert receive on an annual
average, an amount of solar energy equal to all of the electricity
generated by the Israel Electric Corporationa process that consumes
about one-third of the country's entire fuel imports. Therefore, it is
only natural that in Israel's arid south, Ben Gurion University's Solar
Energy Research Center is testing and demonstrating a variety of
solar-powered thermal and photovoltaic technologies. The Center makes it
possible to take a new idea from the initial laboratory stage right
through to final large-scale testing in the sun-soaked Negev desert. This
approach further enhances Israel's status as a world leader in solar
studies and the exploitation of solar energy.
In addition to these developments, several Israeli companies have entered
the solar energy market. For example, Solor Photovoltaic Systems, a
division of Chromagen Solar Energy Systems, has developed a solar energy
system that can simultaneously supply electric power and hot water for
residential applications. This versatile Multi Solar System uses
photovoltaic cell technology and batteries in combination with flat solar
panels to supply hot water, lighting and heating for domestic and
industrial purposes. The PV cells are cooled by the water circulating in
the solar panels, a factor which increases the efficiency of operation.
The system is modular with a daily output of between 2kWh to 4kWh of
usable electricity and 8000 kilocalories of hot water, more than required
by an average household.
In addition to its world leadership in the field of solar energy, Israeli
companies are also world-renowned in the development of other alternative
energy sources. Ormat, for example, has developed into a leading
international company which specializes in the design and installation of
electricity generating equipment for low temperature heat, mainly
geothermal and industrial waste heat. The company's geothermal power
plants emit no toxic or greenhouse gases and meet the most stringent clean
air standards. Ormat's technology is not restricted by power generation:
the company has developed a technique for enhanced evaporation of chemical
brines that needs only 1kWh per cu. m. of evaporated liquid, compared with
20-30 kWh/cu.m. for conventional concentrations, and a low-energy
dehumidifier for greenhouses that allows heating without excessive
humidity that leads to fungal growth. Ormat's modular power plants,
ranging from 200 kW to over 120 MW, efficiently match the power plant to
the geothermal resource characteristics, steam quality and brine
chemistry. Several of Ormat's products have been awarded the green label
which is granted to products with reduced environmental impact. These
include: the closed cycle vapor turbogenerator, industrial air-cooled heat
exchangers and Ormat Energy Converter.
Still another company, Coolingtec Industries Ltd. has developed absorption
cooling technology which turns heat into cooling without utilizing a gas
compressor. Each of these systems consists of two basic components: the
refrigerant and the absorber. The system uses environment friendly
materials which prevent the danger of gas leakage, and results in
significant electricity savings through the use of a cogeneration unit
which uses engine cooling waste heat and exhaust gases waste heat. The
result: a smaller electricity generation unit, lower energy requirements,
less pollution and no noise generation.
Gal Yam Energy Ltd. has invented a unique generator utilizing horizontal
and vertical sea or ocean waves to provide new energy sources without
depleting the earth's natural resources.
Integrated Pest Management
Israel is well known for its landmark agricultural achievements. Its
success was fired by the belief that only by working the soil could the
rebirth of the Jewish nation in Israel strike roots. Extensive scientific
research complemented this approach. However, the "greening of the desert"
and impressive agricultural yields were often secured by an increasing
reliance on insecticides and fertilizers.
Today, as the dangers of chemical control are becoming more evident,
Israeli scientists are increasingly pursuing less harmful agricultural
control methods, replacing chemical with biological and other measures.
Largely pioneered in Kibbutz Sede Eliyahu in Israel's Beit She'an Valley,
biological control, is currently being implemented in several agricultural
areas in Israel.
Biological control works together with natural forces. Successful
identification of chemical components of the world of insects is enabling
the laboratory synthesis of highly specialized signals, painstakingly
designed by evolution. One example involves the isolation and synthesis of
pheromonessubstances secreted by insects to communicate a variety of
social messages. Fertile female insects often secrete pheromones that are
carried by the wind, attracting males downstream. Initially, natural
pheromones, extracted from females, were used to trap males. Later, a
laborious process which monitored the response of male antennae, enabled
scientists to chemically synthesize the compounds. In one successful
project, scientists managed to use this method to combat the citrus moth
whose larvae prevent fruit development by destroying the flower's ovary.
The project's success reduced the need for chemical control in citrus
groves. Other projects include use of pheromone traps to monitor the
number of males as well as the egg-laying period in order to pinpoint the
ideal time for spraying.
Another form of biological control utilizes knowledge of predator-prey
interactions. The development and introduction of beneficial natural
enemies including predatory mites, beetles and wasps as well as bacteria
and fungi is proving to be a superior alternative to conventional chemical
pesticides in terms of long-term effectiveness, cost and safety.
Increasingly, such natural enemies are being introduced to agricultural
fields to combat agricultural pests.
Both Israel's academic institutions and its industrial sector are busy
developing innovative products which are aimed at reducing the use of
pesticides and insecticides to a minimum. In the Hebrew University alone,
research projects have yielded a wide variety of new products now ready
for commercialization: biological control of plant pathogenic fungi using
bacteria, a natural product produced by a biocontrol agent which inhibits
a wide spectrum of microorganisms, a new microbial pesticide for the
control of pests in agriculture and public health, and a biological method
for the control of rodent pests.
One of the most prominent examples of the efficacy of natural enemies is a
bacterium, discovered in a Negev puddle in 1976, which was found to be
lethal to certain flies and mosquitoes. Coined Bacillus t. israelensis
(BTI), it provides a revolutionary means of controlling water-breeding
insects. Commercial production has proved vital, particularly in Africa,
where israelensis has zeroed in on insects transmitting severe tropical
diseases including malaria and African sleeping disease.
Several of Israel's technological incubators are also working in the field
of integrated pest management. Thus, Contrix Ltd. has developed a unique
organic polymer matrix that enables dependable slow release of substances,
such as fertilizers, pesticides, plant growth stimulants, corrosion
inhibitors and biological agents while Friendly Fungi Ltd. is developing a
family of natural fungi which are environmentally friendly but deadly to
agricultural pests.
Additional Technological Developments
In addition to its world-renowned developments in the field of water and
agriculture, Israel has also developed technologies for monitoring air and
water pollution, cleaning up oil spills and other industrial waste, and
recycling agricultural and urban waste. For example, Foam Systems A. Ltd.,
a technological incubator, has developed a system for the complete cleanup
of marine and fresh water oil spills which is based on the absorption of
the spilt oil by polymeric foam. Another company, ISPRA Israel Product
Research Co. Ltd., has developed an automatic oil spill detector which is
connected to an alarm control box and is capable of floating on water.
This patented spill detector instantaneously warns of even small
quantities of petrol oil which appear on the water surface. The system is
intended for use in oil transfer sites, offshore drilling platforms,
marine power plants, desalination plants, etc.
Several technological incubators are working on various aspects of
recycling, as follows:
P.L.P. Ltd. has developed a technology which is reported to recycle up to
97% of urban waste and to turn it into activated carbon with almost no
pollution residues. Organic waste ingredients are transformed into a raw
material with high resale values.
Cycletec Recycling Technologies Ltd. is in the process of developing a
technology for manufacturing composite material products based on recycled
commingled plastic and paper as raw material.
EMR-Ecological Metal Recycling Ltd. is developing advanced technological
processes for metal extraction from waste, using liquid solvent
composition.
Supersoil has developed a new technology for production of artificial peat
and oil and cow bedding which is based on the destruction of the cellular
structure of organic waste (especially paper and livestock waste).
Air quality, energy production and treatment of hazardous gases and
materials are also of high priority. An incubator known as Vortex
Ecological Technologies Ltd. has developed a technology for cleaning gas
in a vortex bubbling chamber. It has completed laboratory testing of a
prototype for cleaning 5000 m3/h of gas from particles and hazardous gases
and is now developing a vortex chamber for gas cleaning with a flow rate
of 25000 m3/h. Other developments in the incubator stage include an
air-dust concentration and humidity measuring device intended for
industrial undertakings subject to dust pollution, meteorological
measurements and ecological control (Ecoclim Measuring Ltd.); ozone
generators (ozonators) of different capacities for application in air
treatment, water and liquid treatments and other treatments (Ozontech
Ltd.), and a novel catalytic converter which will neutralize noxious fumes
according to the permitted U.S. regulation levels for use in the
automotive and chemical industries (Zeonetics Ltd.) and an ecologically
friendly water boiler based on a catalytic heat power source of 10 KW
(Catalytic System Technologies Ltd.).
Especially promising in the field of air pollution is the development and
manufacture of an advanced zinc-air batter-based system for powering
electric vehicles. Electric Fuel Limited, a subsidiary of the publicly
owned Electric Fuel Corporation, has developed a zinc-air battery block
comprised of 22 series-connected individual cells. In addition to the
battery which is composed of a series of zinc anode cassettes, the
Electric Fuel system includes an automated battery refueling system for
replacing depleted cassettes and a regeneration system for recycling
depleted cassettes. The system offers significant advantages over other
electric vehicle battery systems, making it ideal for fleet operators. The
battery delivers a unique combination of high energy density and high
power density which provides superior range, speed and acceleration and
less frequent refueling. The company has already entered into several
cooperative ventures with corporations and organizations throughout the
world which are committed to introducing and promoting clean electric
transportation as a realistic alternative to the internal combustion
engine. These include programs with Deutsche Post AG, the German Postal
Service, which is sponsoring an extensive field test of electric vans and
light pick-up trucks powered by Electric Fuel zinc-air batteries.
Other environmental technologies span from a new method intended to
overcome the aesthetic damage to quarried rock which was developed by
Geoprospect 1986 Jerusalem Ltd. to environmental data management systems
such as those developed by Envitech. Geoprospect's method is based on a
chemical reaction which creates a thin film of a new material, darker than
the scar. It can be applied in various tones, according to the rock type
and the colors of the environment. Experiments have revealed no danger of
poison, nor damage to flora and fauna. The method has already been
implemented in quarries and rocky slopes in various parts of the country.
Envitech designs environmental data management systems for monitoring air,
water, toxic gas, radiation and noise. The company's Data Logger and
Control System is a basic unit of an environmental quality monitoring
station. An innovative feature of this company is a software package which
provides data collection, analysis, archive handling, reporting and
dynamic display operating under Microsoft Windows.
With an Eye to the Future
Despite its small size, Israel has become a major player in the
international market for environmental technologies and services. Its
technological strength in solving environmental problems has largely grown
from adversityits limited land reserves, of which fifty percent is
desert, and scarcity of water, and lack of energy sources. However, its
second key area of competitive advantage is in its scientific and
technological manpower and in the way its research and development
establishment is organized and funded.
In recent years, many academic research groups and industrial companies
have found ways to exploit their existing technology base for new
environmental products, especially defense-technology companies that are
now looking for new civilian markets for their accumulated know-how. Thus
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), Rafael, Elbit and other leading defense
contractors and government laboratories are all making major investment of
resources in adapting existing technology to environmental products, such
as the use of IAI's miniature remotely piloted vehicles to carry equipment
for remote sensing of air pollution, or the adaptation of optical lasers
to measure water pollution. The government has also made an important
policy move that is affecting the entire spectrum of high-tech through the
creation of a special program for generic technology development, in which
consortia of academic and industrial researchers work together on
pre-competitive research and development, sharing their knowledge base and
receiving a high level of matching funds.
Today, Israel's environmental research and development is as wide-ranging
as it is advanced. This environmental know-how has made an impact which
has extended well beyond the borders of this country alone. Hopefully, as
economic cooperation with Israel's neighboring Arab states increases
through the regional peace process, Israel's expertise in such vital areas
as water resource management and combating desertification will help
contribute toward a better environment in the entire region.
Acknowledgment: The material for this paper is was kindly provided by
Israel's Environmental Technology Center and the Technological Incubator
Program. For further information, please contact:
Environmental Technology Center
Israel Export Institute
POB 50084
Tel Aviv 61500, Israel
Tel: 972-3-5142857/484
Fax: 972-3-5142881
Technological Incubator Program
POB. 50031
Tel Aviv 61500, Israel
Tel: 972-3-5103941
Fax: 972-3-5173734