A joint scientific forum of the Israel Academy of Sciences and humanities and the
National Academy of Sciences was conducted in September 2024 in the context of an agreement of scientific collaboration between the two academies. It was the third annual US-Israel Blavatnik Scientific Forum and was titled “Alleviating Global Water Scarcity by Desalination and Water Reuse.”
The organizing committee of the forum is comprised of leading Israeli and American researchers in the field who worked together over the course of several months to design a most successful program which was reformatted following the postponement of the original forum as a result of the “Swords of Iron” war. The organizing committee is co- chaired by Israel Academy member Prof. Gedeon Dagan from Tel Aviv University and Prof. Menachem Elimelech from Yale University. The Committee members include Prof. Pedro Alvarez, Rice University; Prof. Avner Adin, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Prof. Amy Childress, The University of Southern California; Prof. Mosher Herzberg, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; Prof. Yoram Oren, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; Prof. Adi Radian, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology; and Prof. Sharon Walker, Drexel University.
Twenty researchers from both countries participated in the forum presenting interesting lectures, engaging in discussions, and building important relationships for future scientific collaborations.
Click here for the full conference program
Welcome Remarks
Peter L. Thoren • Executive Vice President, Access Industries, Inc.
Menachem Elimelech • Yale University
Avner Adin • The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Day 1 Keynote Address: Maximizing the Value of Water Infrastructure Investments for Humans and the Environment
Meagan Mauter • Stanford University
Session 1: Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination
Session Chairs:
Moshe Herzberg, Amy Childress
Speakers:
Roy Bernstein • Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Polyelectrolyte-Based Membranes and Polymer Brush Modification for High Recovery Inland Desalination
Shihong Lin • Vanderbilt University
Leveraging the “Leakiness” of Nanofiltration to Enhance Water Recovery in Desalination
Razi Epsztein • Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
Targeting Solute-Solute Selectivity in Membrane-Based Desalination
Pei Xu • New Mexico State University
Development of Selective Electrodialysis for Separation of Mono- and Multi-Valent Ions During Water Reuse and Desalination
Moshe Herzberg • Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Current Methods for Prediction of Reverse Osmosis Membrane Fouling and the Premise of Nano-Plasmonic Sensing
Session 2: Management of Desalinated Water and Brine, and Wastewater Effluents
Session Chair:
Menachem Elimelech
Speakers:
Daniel Kurtzman • The Volcani Institute
Storage and Remineralization of Desalinated Seawater in the Natural Subsurface
Aaron Wilson • Idaho National Lab
Solvent-Driven Mineral Recovery from Desalination Concentrates
Baoxia Mi • University of California, Berkeley
Interfacial Solar Evaporation for Brine Treatment
Session 3: Advanced Technologies for Water Reuse
Session Chairs:
Adi Radian, Ines Zucker
Speakers:
Tzahi Cath • Colorado School of Mines
Three Years Experience with an Innovative, Versatile, Mobile Direct Potable Reuse Treatment System
Adi Radian • Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
Clay-Based Heterogeneous Fenton Catalysts for Removal and Destruction of PFAS and Other Organic Contaminants
Megan Plumlee • Orange County Water District
Water Agencies as Research Testbeds is Critical to Tackle Potable Reuse Challenges
Ines Zucker • Tel Aviv University
Selective Nanocomposites for Water Decontamination and Reuse
Session 4: Environmental Impact and Societal Challenges of Desalination and Water Reuse
Session Chairs:
Sharon Walker, Avner Adin
Speakers:
Edo Bar-Zeev • Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Nexus of Seawater Desalination and the Aquatic Environment
David Sedlak • University of California, Berkeley
Navigating the Economic, Social and Environmental Challenges of Desalination and Water Reuse
Osnat Gillor • Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
The Fate of Pathogens, Antibiotics, and Resistance Genes in Treated Wastewater and the Irrigated Soils and Crops
Amy Childress • University of Southern California
Integrating Systems of Desalination and Potable Reuse for Flexible Water Supply
Closing Remarks
Menachem Elimelech • Yale University
Avner Adin • The Hebrew University of Jerusalem