Environmental Engineering

Energy

- Prof. Carmel Rotschild has developed a technology that could improve the efficiency of photovoltaic cells by nearly 70 percent. The breakthrough could be a key for overcoming current technological limitations to harnessing solar power to meet the world’s energy consumption demands. (11/16)

- Using a simple membrane extract from spinach leaves, an interdisciplinary team led by Professors Noam Adir, Gadi Schuster, and Avner Rothschild developed a bio-photo-electro-chemical (BPEC) cell that produces electricity and hydrogen from water using sunlight. The raw material of the device is water, and its products are electric current, hydrogen and oxygen. (09/16)

- Assistant Professor Lilac Amirav demonstrates a perfect 100% light-to-hydrogen gas conversion efficiency through solar water splitting. This direct solar-to-fuel energy conversion alleviates the energy storage problem, since fuel (chemical energy) can be stored more easily than either electricity or heat. It is the highest achieved efficiency ever to be reported. (05/16

- A patented breakthrough by Professor Nir Tessler improves the efficiency of organic photovoltaic cells by 50 percent, and could lead to solar cells that can be mounted on lightweight, flexible, and easy-to-replace sheets, which can be spread on roofs and buildings like wallpaper, converting solar energy into electrical current. In the future, they could also be used to provide a cost-efficient and reliable source of electricity in isolated regions. (02/16)

- Using a unique wind tunnel designed specifically to study wind turbine applications, Prof. David Greenblatt is at the leading edge of finding ways to make wind energy more efficient and viable. (02/14)

- By studying and analyzing the material properties of our roads, Prof. Eyal Levenberg is working to determine how they will behave over time and under all kinds of conditions. This more environmental approach makes it possible to use (and re-use) materials that will increase the life of existing pavements and make sure new ones last longer. (02/14)

- With the discovery of several natural gas fields off the coast of Israel, the Technion creates the “Mediterranean Natural Gas and Petroleum Engineering Graduate Program” (MNG & PE). The program is training Israel’s very first gas and oil drilling experts. (04/13)

- Associate Prof. Avner Rothschild uses the power of the sun and ultrathin films of iron oxide (commonly known as rust) to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The breakthrough could lead to less expensive, more efficient ways to store solar energy in the form of hydrogen-based fuels. This could be a major step forward in the development of viable replacements for fossil fuels. (11/12)

- Prof. Nir Tessler has found a way to generate an electrical field inside solar cells that use inorganic nanocrystals or “quantum dots,” making them more suitable for building an energy-efficient nanocrystal solar cell. (11/11)

- The Technion is chosen by the state of Israel to lead the Israeli Center of Research Excellence (I-CORE) in Alternative Energies. The selection of the Technion was made by Israel's Council for Higher Education as part of their multi-year reform plan for the Israeli higher education system. (07/11)

- Profs. Gadi Schuster and Prof. Noam Adir have manipulated the photosynthetic process of plants in a way that may possibly enable the energy produced in the process to be harnessed for later use as electricity. (08/10)

The Nancy and Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP) is dedicated. The primary goal of the GTEP is to provide the resources to help carry out energy research projects that have the potential to lead to new technologies that can help alleviate the world’s dependence on fossil fuels.(06/10)

- Dr. Alexander Kapulkin develops a new design for a rocket engine that allows small satellites for space missions to consume less fuel and operate more efficiently. (12/09)

- Prof. Yair Ein-Eli is developing a new, environmentally friendly silicon-air battery capable of supplying non-stop power for thousands of hours without needing to be replaced. (10/09)

- Prof. Gideon Grader is working to develop a Hydrogen/Nitrogen alternative fuel that costs 1/3 the price of gasoline. (2009)

- Innowattech, a company started by Technion Prof. Haim Abramovich, is developing a way to produce electricity from traffic on highways, rails and runways. (01/09)

- Because there are minimal natural resources and marginal lands, Prof. Shimon Gepstein is researching how to improve yields from plants used for biofuels. (2008)

- Prof. Pini Gurfil and Technion graduate Joseph Cory devised a way to produce electricity using helium-filled balloons made from fabric coated with photovoltaic (PV) solar cells. (10/07)

Water

- A desalination project by joint Technion - University of North Texas team won the Honorable Mention award in a USAID competition. A prize of $125,000 grant will be used in the near future to build a groundwater treatment plant in Jordan. (05/15)

- Scientists and graduate students from the Technion are working together with Palestinian peers at Al Quds University to study the effect of pharmaceutical residues in water and how compounds to treat them might help. Their insights could be applied to local and global water problems. (02/13)

- Led by Prof. Eran Friedler, a team of Technion and Ben-Gurion University researchers prove the efficiency of gray water purification systems. According to the findings, people should be encouraged to use such water in private homes. (07/12)

- Advanced Mem-Tech, founded by Profs. Moris Eisen and Rafi Semiat, develops innovative filtration membranes that separate solids from water during the treatment and purification of wastewater and clean water environmental contamination. Advanced Mem-Tech's membranes are able to filter bacteria, microbes and parasites from water at a higher rate than current solutions. (09/10)

- Dr. Ori Lahav and colleagues developed an innovative and environmentally friendly process for treating desalinated water to supply drinking water. (03/08)

- Grand Water Research Institute scientists are using nanoparticles to clean wastewater (09/07)

- Technion graduate Joseph Cory developed “Watair,” a way to collect water in remote areas. (05/07)

- Technion researchers have worked with Jordanian and Palestinian scientists to develop a way to recycle wastewater through a constructed wetland. (05/03)

Miscellaneous

- Prof. Mark Talesnick launches Israel’s first chapter of Engineers without Borders. Technion students and Faculty traveled to Nepal to help the local community solve environmental challenges. (02/11)

- Technion lecturers Tagit Klimor and David Knafo designed a high-rise apartment building with its own integrated greenhouse space. The greenhouses enable families to grow vegetables for consumption. (12/07)

- A team led by Prof. Ehud Keinan found a novel strategy for creating herbicide-resistance plants. The plants produce a new enzyme that decomposes herbicides commonly used to prevent weeds. (2005)