Since
its foundation in 1948, Israel has placed great emphasis
on maximizing its water supply, famously turning much of its arid land into
fertile agricultural soil. Indeed, David Ben Gurion, Israel’s founding father, declared
the goal of “making the desert bloom” as one of the central themes of the new
nation, believing it could be one of its main contributions to the world.
Thus,
water technologies have been a national priority in Israel since day one. This
emphasis has proven itself in one of the world’s most efficient and innovative
water systems.
Since
its founding, Israel has been coping with water scarcity and has been treating
the subject as a national priority. As more and more countries around the world
begin to confront the real issues of global warming and water scarcity, many
are turning to Israel, which has developed novel solutions. Israel's success in
answering the country's water needs stems from its ability to incorporate an
extensive variety of solutions under multiple constraints.
The Israeli water industry is
today recognized as a global leader in the water arena thanks to breakthrough
technological innovations in areas such as desalination, drip irrigation and
water security.
Achievements - Fast Facts
- Israel, with an 80% water recycling rate, is the world's leading country in water recycling. The second largest water recycler in recent years has been Spain, with a rate of 18%.
- Israeli-invented drip irrigation helped achieve 70%-80% of water efficiency in agriculture, the highest rate in the world.
- Israel’s total water consumption has remained nearly the same since 1964, in spite of a growing population and agriculture. This feat has been enabled through improved efficiency and technological innovation.
- Israel has achieved the highest ratio in the world of crop yield per water unit.
- Israel is home to the world's largest seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plants, annually producing 140-150 million m3 at the low cost of approximately $0.52 per m3 of water, the most cost-efficient of its kind in the world.
- Over 35% of Israel's drinking-quality water now comes from desalination. Meanwhile, desalinated water accounts for around 80% of total domestic water use in Israeli cities.
A
culture of technology & ingenuity
Water
is not Israel’s only scarce resource. Since its inception, Israel has faced a
variety of difficulties emanating from scarce natural resources, and numerous
political and geographical challenges.
To
overcome these hurdles Israel has always relied on its most valuable asset –
the human resource. In spite of its challenges, Israel has achieved considerable
success. These amazing accomplishments have come about due to the emphasis
placed on education, academia and technology by the Israeli government and
society. Moreover, Israelis are widely and deservedly perceived as being driven
by a creative entrepreneurial spirit. This spirit and the incredible human
resource it drives have enabled Israel to develop considerable expertise in the
various fields of water conservation.
Areas of Expertise
- Water resources management: first to adopt a comprehensive approach on a national scale; today it is one of the main sources of water agriculture in the country.
- Irrigation solutions: highest ratio of crop per water unit (Water for agriculture)
- Purification & reclamation: countless innovative breakthroughs
- Desalination: the most economical in the world
- Water treatment: recycle , drinking, watering
- Water safety and security: applying years of experience in the field of security and defense to counter a new threat.
- Water IT and communications
Water
for agriculture
70% of the
world’s water supply is channeled into agriculture. Solutions for optimizing
the water
This model has led to significant
developments, including:
- Drip Irrigation.
- Subsurface Drip Irrigation and Fertigation resulting in lowered water use by growing plants.
- Individual Spray Irrigation allowing for precise irrigation of trees.
- Advanced Computerization of Irrigation Systems allowing for real-time operation, monitoring, and pre-programming of irrigation intervals.
- Buried Moisture Sensors providing information on moisture levels of the soil.
The Drip
Irrigation Success Story- Changing the way the world irrigates
Simcha
Blass, an Israeli water engineer, discovered the essence of drip in 1959. His
study showed that a slow and balanced
drip effect led to remarkable plant growth, and created a drip based tube to
capitalize on the concept.
Today, drip
irrigation is recognized as being perhaps the most valuable innovation in
agricultural history. “Drip irrigation regularly exceeds 90% water efficiency.
All told, the technology represents a 30% to 50% savings on water used for
irrigation.” New York Times, 2009.
In addition
to maximizing water efficiency, drip irrigation also successfully:
- Limits evaporation.
- Reduces the requirement for fertilizers and chemicals.
- Enables effective control of plant disease.
- Eases the transferal of pesticides and other
- materials to prevent plant/crop infestation.
- Prevents salination of soil.
- Reduces weed growth.
Water
management
For decades
the Israeli government and various local organizations, ranging from start-ups
to long established firms, have worked in conjunction to effectively handle and
maximize Israel’s limited water resources.
This
holistic approach has resulted in considerable innovation and advancement in
the field of water management, including:
Israeli Water Expertise Efficient National Water
Administration Solutions
Israel’s
national water company has developed cutting-edge technologies to maximize the utilization
of Israel’s water resources, automate its treatment and efficiently deliver it
to domestic, industrial and agricultural users. Additionally, the company will
helm a planned rerouting of Israel’s main water arteries, shifting water from
the west of the country to the east and allowing for substantially improved
water management.
Multi-Level Resource Management
Another
Israeli company, which originated as a governmental subsidiary and has since
privatized
to
considerable success, specializes in a variety of water resource projects on a
national, regional and local level. Its vast experience in the water industry has
afforded it a significant edge in formulating and implementing effective
management solutions.
Municipal Non-Revenue Water Management
An Israeli
start-up has developed water efficiency solutions for municipal water
distribution systems, providing non-revenue water management. Such management
solutions enable governing bodies and institutions to produce/purchase less
water, save energy due to improved efficiency, postpone investments in increasing
water capacity and extend the lifespan of existing infrastructures.
Unmeasured Flow Reducer Technology
This
uniquely-designed valve, developed by a firm focused on the ongoing effort for
water management savings, is geared to improve the ability to measure water
usage worldwide.
Wastewater & Water Treatment
In order to
bring about the oasis for the next generation, humankind will need to not only preserve
the water it has, but, in essence, “create” more. This can be done through the rapidly
advancing technologies of purification and reclamation, two of Israel’s
long-standing specialties in the water arena. Breakthrough wastewater solutions
developed by Israeli companies include:
Suction Scanning Technology
This fast,
efficient, self-cleaning technology ensures a continuous flow of filtered
water, and is appropriate for all filtering applications.
Laser-based Analysis
This time
and energy saving process uses on-line, laser-based particle size analyzers to
detect solids in water ranging from lime deposits to sub-micron objects such as
viruses.
Microbial Fuel Cell Technology
An Israeli
firm has developed a novel technology that allows for the production of
electricity directly from the treatment of different types of wastewater.
Attached Growth Airlift Reactor Technology
This
biological treatment method integrates fixed film and suspended growth
technologies to produce superior effective surface area for biomass growth and
optimal oxygen transfer efficiency.
Sewage Recycling System
This
integrated solution combines reduced sludge formation for municipal waste water
treatment and the recycling of waste water bio-solids to extract bio-solids
from raw sewage.
Fine Bubble Aeration System
This unique system
creates efficient wastewater treatment by using floating diffusers, avoiding
the drawbacks of mechanical surface aerators.
Desalination
Water
desalination is another key to sustainability, converting salt water so that it
may be suitable for irrigation and pioneering cost-effective ways of providing
fresh water for regions where its
Breakthrough
desalination solutions developed by the Israeli government and commercial
sector include:
The World’s RO Largest Desalination Plant
Opened in
December 2009, Israel’s Hadera seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination
plant is the largest of its kind in the world (the runner up is also in Israel –
the Ashkelon plant, active since 2005).
Flow Reversal Technology
This technology
improves the desalination processes of brackish groundwater, increasing the
recovery rate, reducing brine volumes for disposal dramatically and minimizing
anti-scalants consumption.
Closed Circuit Desalination Technology
A
replacement to the current reverse osmosis desalination process, this
technology dramatically
reduces
desalination production costs while maintaining superior product quality.
China’s Largest Desalination Facility
A global
Israeli company is providing China with a $119 million desalination facility
which will provide the country with 100,000 m3 of potable water a day.
Water Safety & Security
The world’s
growing security challenges, including the higher risk of technical failure due
to system complexity, the increasing intensity of natural disasters, and the
emergence of ever more sophisticated terrorist threats, dictate that the “Next
Generation Oasis” will need to be a safe haven; one we will
Israel is
uniquely suited to this task; its extensive operational defense experience and
advanced academic research lead the world in water security, risk management and
disaster solution technology. Examples of Israeli academic and commercial involvement
in this field include:
Developing a New Model of Urban Water Security
Hebrew
University, which was part of the Sixth EU R&D Framework’s 22 million Euro
Consortium for urban water security, is researching models for safety and
security in urban sewage systems.
Neutralizing Biological & Chemical Water Threats
The Technion’s
Grand Water Research Institute is conducting interdisciplinary research, funded
by NATO, into the placement of monitoring stations that can identify and
neutralize chemical and biological contaminants, such as anthrax.
Biosensor Bacteria Protection Technology
This
pioneering system makes use of bioluminescence-based technology to ensure water
safety and prevent contamination. The unique early warning process utilizes
non-pathogenic marine bacteria as biosensors that can rapidly indicate changes
in water quality.
Comprehensive Water Security Management System
An Israeli
firm has developed an end-to-end water security management system designed to
give water security operators an unprecedented level of decision-making confidence
in the event of a crisis.
Water, IT & Communications
One of the
most quickly advancing and exciting fields in water research approaches water
challenges through the lens of information technology. Making use of modern
communications and monitoring processes in conjunction with advanced computer programs,
this field brings together two of Israel’s greatest strengths - water
technology and hi-tech communications.
Israeli
companies are developing and implementing IT solutions in the water arena to
enable conservation on a major scale and improve water efficiency across a
number of industries. The creative use of advanced IT in water systems enables
utilities to better monitor and control water resources using less manpower and
improving scalability, thus making these cutting-edge solutions extremely efficient
and cost-effective.
Examples of Israeli products and technologies in this
developing field include:
Water Distribution Monitoring Software
An Israeli
start-up has provided a software-as-a service solution for monitoring water
distribution networks. The system gives unprecedented control over network
events in real time, using state-o f the- art statistical and mathematical
algorithms to dramatically impact water savings and help cities prevent water
loss.
Innovative Smart Metering Technology
This
progressive technology acts as a comprehensive remote meter reading solution
for walk-by, drive-by, and fix base systems. It requires no physical access or
visual inspection of meters and is so responsive that users can be alerted to
problems such as water loss the moment they occur.
Comprehensive Instrumentation and Data Management System
Another
start-up has developed an innovative and comprehensive water communication and
data management system. The technology allows for remote monitoring and the immediate
addition and use of measurement instrumentation, reducing water costs and water
wastage while improving efficiency and ROI.
State-of-the-Art SCADA Solutions
An Israeli
subsidiary to an international communications conglomerate has developed advanced
SCADA and water control solutions, based on state-of-the-art communication and
IT technologies.
Israeli Water- Tech
Israeli Water- Tech is
based on the belief that the Israeli
water and renewable energy sectors have the talent and capability to be
strong growth industries for the country,
and to play an major part in establishing
the “Next Generation Oasis” for the world’s rising needs.
This is a national
program led by the Ministry of Industry,
Trade and Labor, , and is supported by a number of additional government
agencies.
Israel Water-Tech helps
to advance the water renewable energy sectors by supporting academia and
research, encouraging implementation in the local market, and by helping Israeli
companies succeed in the international arena.
A look at some of the Successful Israeli Companies in the
Sector
- Drip irrigation was developed by Netafim in Israel and is today the leading irrigation technology worldwide.
- Lesico CleanTech created the already commercially active WAIV (Wing Aided Intensified Evaporation), a wind assisted brine evaporation process. They recently signed a 4-year contract with ORICA Water Care.
- Israeli efficient wastewater treatment innovator Emefcy was one of 10 companies selected to be “2012 New Energy Pioneers” at the fifth annual Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit in New York. Emefcy’s solution uses electrogenic bacteria to produce electricity directly from wastewater at the same time as treating it.
- EZPACK, created a unique way to transfer clean, drinkable water to disaster areas and other emergency zones making use of innovative pillow bladder tanks with a PVC outer layer and “food graded” material inside.
- TaKaDu provides a Software-as-a-Service solution for monitoring water distribution networks, giving the utility real-time control over network events, using state-of-the-art statistical and mathematical algorithms.