Israeli engineer’s biofilter offers Australian urban water potential

Israeli engineer Yaron Zinger has invented what he says is a new way to collect and treat urban rainwater that could benefit metropolitan areas worldwide, according to ISRAEL21c.

Zinger is concerned that urban rainwater is causing permanent damage to aquifers. His biofilter system collects water, particularly storm runoff, cleans it biologically and puts in back into urban underground aquifers and wells.

The invention has the potential to be used for irrigation, domestic purposes and even eventually for human consumption.

While working on his doctorate at Australia’s Monash University on removing nitrogen and phosphorus from runoff water, he decided to take his research to another level. His biofilter features layers of soil and plants with roots that develop a bacterial population that can breakdown runoff pollution, ISRAEL21c reports. It could be installed near sidewalks, traffic islands, and open urban areas.

The research, being funded by the Australian government and industry, has achieved proof of concept. Now about 10,000 units are to be installed during the next five years in Australia, which already faces severe water scarcity issues (see GE tackles water supply).

Australia is looking to increase its water production capacity, especially through desalination (see Energy Recovery tech slated for new Australian desal plant).

The biofilter is also being tested to treat urban rainwater runoff and recharge old water wells in a first-of-its-kind environmentally friendly urban housing project in Israel, outside Tel Aviv.

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