High-Tech Waste Treatment Hits Ohio

Can the heartland of the U.S. become the new center of gravity for the water industry?

A pending agreement between five Israeli companies and the city of Akron, OH, aims to do just that. Local officials say the deal could make Akron the nucleus of the water-technology industry in North America.

The city "will spend $500,000 a year over three years as part of a $5 million 'Advanced Waste Water Treatment Demonstration Project.' A signed agreement that will have five Israeli companies locate in Akron is weeks, perhaps months, away, but will happen, Mayor Don Plusquellic said," the Beacon Journal reported this month.

The agreement will make Akron "the exclusive partner for Israeli water research in North America," Northeast Ohio Media Group reported.  It attempts to build on efforts made by the Akron Global Water Alliance, an initiative designed to create partnerships between water technology companies and the city.

The new partnership includes "Mekerot, the Israeli government-owned water supply conglomerate, as well as the Israel Institute of Technology and MemTech, which has developed proprietary membrane technology that can efficiently filter large volumes of wastewater," the report said.

Plusquellic said the goal is to make Akron a high-tech hub, and a go-to place for water technology companies.

“This is really a significant announcement to be identified as the single place in North America for these high-tech companies,” he said, per the Beacon Journal report.

Oren Blonder, vice president of sales and marketing for MemTech, one of the Israeli companies, explained the significance of the deal.

“In a nutshell, what we are trying to do is to harness together in one location the different activities [of the Israeli partners],” Blonder said, per the report. “The idea here is to create a platform.”

What will the initial projects focus on?

"The Israeli technology can take high volumes of water contaminated with human, animal and industrial waste and clean it to nearly drinking water quality level," the report said, citing Blonder. For instance, MemTech manufactures "flux membranes" to aid the treatment process.

"Pilot projects will include efforts to reuse wastewater in applications such as irrigation, saving treated water for consumption, Blonder said. Memtech currently treats wastewater for the city of Jerusalem," Northeast Ohio Media Group reported.