Ben-Gurion University
Ben-Gurion University is a university that is part of the pulse of the water sector. Here we bring together everything it publishes on Smart Water Magazine: its news, its blogs and the events it takes part in.
Scientists develop a method to turn hazardous acidic industrial wastewater into valuable resources
A research team of BGU environmental scientists has developed a circular process for eliminating the risk posed by phosphoric acid plant wastewater. The process turns the environmentally toxic wastewater into clean water while recovering valuable acids. Phosphoric acid is the main ingredient in industrial fertilizers, a massive industry worldwide. Their method was just published in ACS Sustainable […]
Researchers advocate using seashells to monitor pollution from desalination plants
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers advocate using seashells to monitor currently undetected industrial pollution from factories and desalination plants along the Israeli coastline and worldwide. "We have accurately quantified trace amounts of heavy metal enrichment from desalination plants on the Mediterranean coast of Israel," says BGU Prof. Sigal Abramovich, of the Department of […]
Israeli researchers to monitor sewage for COVID-19 outbreaks in 14 Israeli cities
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) has signed an agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Health to detect and monitor for COVID-19 in sewage samples from 14 cities around the country. The monitoring will serve as an early warning system to detect outbreaks. It is part of a larger pilot study being conducted and funded […]
Wastewater requires additional treatment to reduce spread of Coronavirus say researchers
Wastewater must be further treated to minimize the risk of dissemination and infection of SARS-CoV-2, according to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers, who found coronavirus RNA in samples from Israeli water treatment plants. Published on medRxiv in advance of peer review, this is the first research on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in water […]
Israel develops method to track SARS-CoV-2 virus through sewage system
A group of BGU scientists have developed a new methodology to trace the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the sewage and wastewater systems. They already determined that it is transferred through feces into the sewage in their first round of sampling. However, no one is sure yet if the virus remains contagious in sewage. Moreover, if their new […]
Study: Treated wastewater may be safe for aquaculture
Although aquaculture in treated wastewater is practiced worldwide, there is scant scientific research concerning whether organic micropollutants are present at safe levels for consumption. A new study in Aquaculture by BGU researchers has determined that organic micropollutants (OMPs) in the water – trace elements of heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and personal care products as well as pesticides, solvents, and […]
Researchers develop new realtime soil nitrate sensor
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have developed a new nitrate sensor that will provide real-time and continuous measurement in soil to better detect water pollution and measure conditions for higher agricultural productivity. Natural nitrate levels in groundwater are generally very low. However, excess application of fertilizers in agriculture often results in leaching of […]