Which academic institution will lead the next groundbreaking research on preventing dust emissions from quarries? Which researchers will combine drones with renewable energy? And who is the professor who wants to develop a system that will generate electricity from the sound of the sea and wave movements?
The Chief Scientist Unit at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure is publishing today the list of 21 academic research projects that have received support totaling approximately NIS 10 million. These are researchers from 11 academic institutions across the country, including the Technion, Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University, Bar-Ilan University, and others. Agreements are currently being signed with the academic institutions, and the research projects will commence for a period of one to three years, with some of them potentially becoming technologies that will impact every home in Israel.
Among the winning research projects is the proposal by Prof. Daniel Nissim from Bar-Ilan University on developing an innovative method for treating PET plastic waste, used for soft drink bottles. The idea behind the research is to break down the polymer in an electrochemical cell and produce fuels, while simultaneously using the hydrocarbon mixture as raw material for producing fuels and various high-value chemical products. This is a highly innovative research that could lead to an unknown breakthrough in the plastic recycling industry. For the execution of this research, the Ministry will provide a grant of NIS 499,600.
Another groundbreaking research will focus on developing an innovative system that generates electricity from the sound of the sea and wave motion, with the aim of powering small marine monitoring devices. The research will be conducted by Prof. Roi Diamant from the University of Haifa, and he will receive a grant of NIS 657,100.
Further research that may leave its mark on the energy sector is that of Prof. Yitzhak Katreh from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, who will examine the development of a system for monitoring and preventing dust emissions from quarries. The goal of the research is to assist in determining appropriate policy for Israel in the field of quarries and in improving air quality. For this purpose, the researcher received a grant from the Ministry amounting to NIS 685,937.
Dr. Amichai Horesh from the Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, and Prof. David Zerok from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have also received support from the Ministry to conduct a joint research project examining the possibility of developing a drone integrated with innovative sound wave-based technology for cleaning solar panels without the use of water. Both researchers received a grant from the Ministry for this research amounting to NIS 999,000.
Last year, the Ministry awarded approximately NIS 8 million to 11 research projects from 6 different academic institutions across the country.
Attached is the full list of winners and the total grants for this year.
Prof. Brian Rosen, Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure: “The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure places great importance on strengthening applied academic research in Israel, and on providing tools that will help bring innovative technologies out of the laboratories, for the significant benefit of the energy, water, and quarry sectors. Strengthening applied research in Israeli academic research institutions will ensure that Israel remains at the global forefront of scientific breakthroughs leading to technological developments in the fields of energy, water, quarries, and the environment.”