Managing the kinetic energy of descending greywater in tall buildings and converting them into a valuable source.

Harnessing energy from descending greywater (GW) in tall buildings (TBs) is an innovative concept that combines water management with renewable energy generation and applying simulation methods. This study proposes a novel approach to enhancing sustainable energy recovery in TBs by capitalizing on the kinetic energy inherent in descending GW. Greywater, derived from non-toilet fixtures such as showers, bathroom sinks, and washing machines, offers a readily accessible source of potential energy due to its gravity-driven flow through the plumbing system.

Biofilm Formation and Biofouling Development on Different Ultrafiltration Membranes by Natural Anaerobes from an Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor.

Biofouling in anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) has not been studied widely. Moreover, the effect of membrane surface properties on biofilm formation beyond initial deposition is controversial. We investigated biofouling with polyvinyldifluoride, polyacrylonitrile, and zwitterion-modified polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes having different properties during 72 h filtration using natural anaerobes isolated from AnMBR and analyzed biofilm characteristics by physicochemical and molecular techniques.

Initial Deposition and Pioneering Colonization on Polymeric Membranes of Anaerobes Isolated from an Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (AnMBR).

Membrane biofouling constitutes a great challenge in anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). Here, we studied the initial deposition of anaerobes, the first step in biofilm formation, with a consortium isolated from an AnMBR on membranes with different surface properties and under two shear rate conditions without filtration. We found that the cell transfer coefficient, calculated from the initial deposition experiments, was similar under the two shear rates for the hydrophobic membranes, but much higher under low shear rate and much lower under high shear rate, for the hydrophilic membrane.

Nanotechnology for sustainable wastewater treatment and use for agricultural production: A comparative long-term study.

Nanotechnology applications can be used for filtering low quality waters, allowing under given conditions, the removal of salts and other micropollutants from these waters. A long-term field experiment, implementing nanotechnology in the form of UltraFiltration (UF) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) for salt removal from treated wastewater, was conducted with secondary effluents, aiming to prove the sustainability of agricultural production using irrigation with treated wastewater. Six outdoor field treatments, each under four replications, were conducted for examining the salt accumulation effects on the soil and the crops.

Greywater use in Israel and worldwide: standards and prospects.

Water shortage around the world enhanced the search for alternative sources. Greywater (GW) can serve as a solution for water demands especially in arid and semi-arid zones. However, issues considered which include acceptability of GW segregation as a separate water treated stream, allowing its use onsite.

The effect of aeration and effluent recycling on domestic wastewater treatment in a pilot-plant system of duckweed ponds.

Three pilot-scale duckweed pond (DP) wastewater treatment systems were designed and operated to examine the effect of aeration and effluent recycling on treatment efficiency. Each system consisted of two DPs in series fed by pre-settled domestic sewage. The first system (duckweed+ conventional treatment) was 'natural' and included only duckweed plants.

Optimizing desalinated sea water blending with other sources to meet magnesium requirements for potable and irrigation waters.

Sea water desalination provides fresh water that typically lacks minerals essential to human health and to agricultural productivity. Thus the rising proportion of desalinated sea water consumed by both the domestic and agricultural sectors constitutes a public health risk. Research on low-magnesium water irrigation showed that crops developed magnesium deficiency symptoms that could lead to plant death, and tomato yields were reduced by 10-15%.

Relation between EPS adherence, viscoelastic properties, and MBR operation: Biofouling study with QCM-D.

Membrane fouling is one of the main constraints of the wide use of membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology. The biomass in MBR systems includes extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), metabolic products of active microbial secretion that adversely affect the membrane performance. Solids retention time (SRT) in the MBR is one of the most important parameters affecting membrane fouling in MBR systems, where fouling is minimized at optimal SRT.

Surface properties and reduced biofouling of graft-copolymers that possess oppositely charged groups.

Microbial biofilms and their components present a major obstacle for ensuring the long-term effectiveness of membrane processes. Graft polymerization on membrane surfaces, in general, and grafting with oppositely charged monomers, have been shown to reduce biofouling significantly. In this study, surface forces and macromolecular properties of graft copolymers that possess oppositely charged groups were related to their potent antibiofouling behavior.

Minimizing health risks during secondary effluent application via subsurface drip irrigation.

Health risks posed on consumers due to the use of agricultural products irrigated with reclaimed wastewater were assessed by numerical simulation. The analysis is based on defining of an Exposure Model (EM) which takes into account several parameters: (i) the quality of the applied wastewater, (ii) the irrigation method, (iii) the elapsed times between irrigation, harvest, and product consumption, and; (iv) the consumers' habits. The exposure model is used for numerical simulation of human consumers' risks by running the Monte Carlo simulation method.

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in a hybrid growth membrane bioreactor (HG-MBR): viscoelastic and adherence characteristics.

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) comprising the microbial biofilms in membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems are considered the most significant factor affecting sludge viscoelastic properties as well as membrane fouling. Understanding the water chemistry effects on EPS viscoelastic, conformational, and adherence properties are critical for defining the microbial biofilm's propensity of fouling the membrane surface. In this study, EPS extracted from a hybrid growth membrane bioreactor (HG-MBR) were analyzed for their adherence, viscoelastic properties and size distribution using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), respectively.

Selection of a multi-stage system for biosolids management applying genetic algorithm.

An economic analysis and feasibility study of a sequential biosolids management process was developed and tested using Genetic Algorithm (GA). The algorithm was used to identify trends and behaviors of the "Biosolids Process Train". This heuristic method of analysis is robust in that it will not only simulate different design scenarios, its analysis will also suggest possible solutions which meet predetermined requirements.

Sustainable domestic effluent reuse via Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI): alfalfa as a perennial model crop.

Scarcity of fresh high-quality water has heightened the importance of wastewater reuse primarily in dry regions together with improving its efficient use by implementing the Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) method. Sustainable effluent reuse combines soil and plant aspects, along with the maintainability of the application system. In this study, field experiments were conducted for two years on the commercial farm of Revivim and Mashabay-Sade farm (RMF) southeast of the City of Beer-Sheva, Israel.

Removal of viruses from surface water and secondary effluents by sand filtration.

The filtration of phi X 174, MS2, and T4 bacteriophages out of tap water and secondary effluents was performed by rapid sand filtration. The viruses were characterized, and the influence of their microscopic characteristics on filterability was examined by comparing retention values, residence times, attachment, and dispersion coefficients calculated from an advection-dispersion model and residence time variation. The only factor observed to influence retention was virus size, such that the larger the virus, the better the retention.

Membrane technology for sustainable treated wastewater reuse: agricultural, environmental and hydrological considerations.

Field experiments were conducted in agricultural fields in which secondary wastewater of the City of Arad (Israel) is reused for irrigation. For sustainable agricultural production and safe groundwater recharge the secondary effluent is further polished by a combined two-stage membrane pilot system. The pilot membrane system consists of two main in row stages: Ultrafiltration (UF) and Reverse Osmosis (RO).

Boron removal by the duckweed Lemna gibba: a potential method for the remediation of boron-polluted waters.

Boron (B) is often found in polluted and desalinated waters. Despite its potentially environmental damaging effects, efficient treatments are lacking. The duckweed Lemna gibba has been shown to remove toxic elements from water; however, its applicability to B removal is unknown.

Secondary wastewater polishing with ultrafiltration membranes for unrestricted reuse: fouling and flushing modeling.

The effects of operating parameters such astransmembrane pressure, retentate, and recirculation volumetric flow rates on the productivity of an ultrafiltration membrane were studied using field data and development of a management model. Correlation equations for predicting the volumetric permeate flow rates were derived from general membrane blocking laws and experimental data. The experimental data were obtained from a pilot study carried out in the Arad wastewater treatment system (a pilot plant operating in feed and bleed operation mode) located several kilometers west of the City of Arad, Israel.

A pilot study of constructed wetlands using duckweed (Lemna gibba L.) for treatment of domestic primary effluent in Israel.

Constructed wetlands are well known as highly efficient system to treat wastewater from different sources. This treatment system is cost-effective for reuse in desert areas. A continuous flow, free water surface (FWS) pilot wetland using the duckweed plant Lemna gibba L.