Understanding how to remove harmful pollutants from water is a key challenge in environmental science. Latest research by Professor Shlomo Nir, Mr. José Manuel Jiménez-Barrera and Dr. Tomás Undabeytia explores a new way to purify water more effectively. The study, published in the journal Water, highlights how certain bacteria and enzymes help speed up natural chemical reactions when pollutants are accelerated, and water passes through filtration systems, which are designed to remove impurities as water flows through different materials.
Professor NIR from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his colleagues from Recursos Naturals y Agrobiologia developed a model to simulate and predict the effects of this process. “By combining the natural decomposition process with filtration and modeling, we can create a system that continuously removes contaminants, makes water purification more efficient and can be installed and planned,” explains NIR. Their approach has improved the existing approach.
The research focuses on removing various pollutants commonly found in water, such as chemicals for drugs, cosmetic products and industrial waste. A key example involves a filter that includes activated carbon, a porous material that captures contaminants and provides a surface for bacteria that represent biofilms that support bacteria that can break down toxic compounds. These toxins, even with very little danger, are successfully removed over a long period of time. The researchers also show that their approach can handle higher levels of pollution without losing effectiveness.
Another major benefit of this study is its potential use in wastewater treatment plants, which will soon use water treatment facilities before the environment. If the treatment facility adopts this filtration method, the ability to purify the water can be greatly improved before it is released into the environment. Professor Neil notes: “This approach not only makes drinking water safer, but also helps reduce the impact of wastewater on natural ecosystems.”
In addition to using bacteria, the study explores enzyme-dependent filtration systems, proteins that speed up chemical reactions. These enzymes remain active in special filters, allowing them to break down contaminants in a controlled and efficient manner. This approach is particularly useful for removing contaminants that are difficult to eliminate conventional treatments. Modeling of filtration, experimental evidence, shows that the removal of contaminants in enzyme filtration systems is initially driven mainly by adsorption and with minimal degradation. Over time, the concentration of emerging pollutants increases until a steady state reaches, at which point the removal occurs only by degradation.
The figure above shows a schematic of some reported processes, including an enzymatic system for removing contaminants in the form of tangential filtration and another using different types of filters in the form of fixed bed filtration (formed with different types of filters (then another) and then removing contaminants, metabolites and contaminants released from biologically by bacteria). The lower part represents the recommendations for addition to the GAC filter in an A micelle clay filter, which has a powerful function in the removal of water bacteria and other micro teeth, a remedy against occasional escape from the GAC filter.
This study highlights the need to combine biological and chemical techniques to improve water purification. As water safety regulations become more stringent, such advanced filtration methods can play a key role in ensuring access to a clean and sustainable water supply.
Journal Reference
Undabeytia T., Jiménez-Barrera JM, NirS. “Removal of emerging pollutants through degradation during filtration: a review of experimental procedures and modeling.” Water, 2024, 16, 110. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/w16010110
New results
S. NIR extends the degradation procedure during filtration to any amount of contaminants. It produces a full year of simulations and predictions of pilots removing dissolved organic matter (DOM) from Kinneret Water. Filtering through GAC filter showed steady state within 5-12 months, with a massive removal capacity of 129 m3/kg gac.
Journal Reference
Ml Kummel, Ob Zusman, S. Nir and YG Mishael, “Demolition of DOM from Kinneret by adsorption column and biodegradation: An experimental study and modeling.” Environment: Moisture. & Technol. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ew00407h
About the Author
Shlomo Nir He is an honorary professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Huji). 1969 Ph.D Theoretical Physics. Paper: Atomic spectrum; calculation of energy levels. Researcher in 1970. Life Science, Huaji. 1970-1980. RPMI, Buffalo, New York. Cancer Research Scientists I-IV and Association. Professor of Biophysics; University of Buffalo New York University. 1980 Assoc. Professor Huaji; Department of Soil and Water Sciences. Professor 1985. Honorary Professor in 2003. Recent research has been mainly about water purification. Model developed: 1. Adsorb multiple cations (including organics), electrostatic equations and specific combinations in a closed system: applied to biofilms and clays and extended to organic cations. 2. Particle aggregation, range and dynamics. 3. Membrane fusion and endocytosis 4. Peptides form pores. 5. There are filtration kinetics of several contaminants in the solution. This model produces simulations and predictions for the removal of chemicals and bacteria from laboratory and test scales. 6. Degreasing type during filtration. This model predicts that steady-state phenomenon has been used (i) to remove (i) very efficiently purified (ii) from drinking water of the fish pond (ii) of lakes (ii). Recently, the program has been expanded to treat several contaminants in the solution and has removed low-cost DOM from the lake water at a pilot scale. Designed organic bonding complexes that effectively remove chemicals and microorganisms from water. 265 articles, 4 books, and 6 patents have been published in journals and books.
Tomásundabaytia: Institute of Natural Resources and Agricultural Biology – Spanish Research Council (IRNAS-CSIC). Permanent research scientist position. Areas of research that focus on the dynamics of pollutants in soil water systems by addressing the following topics: (i) Effect of trace metals on adsorption and mobility of organic pollutants in soil and vice versa; (ii) Effect of organic revisions on agrochemical mobility; (iii) Development of recovery methods for soil contaminated with pesticides and other organic and inorganic chemicals; (iv) Development of controlled release formulations (CRFs) of pesticides; (v) Development and research of water purification systems for ongoing organic compounds and pathogenic microorganisms. Indicators: H-Index, 31; 72 publications; 4 patents.
