DR. ERAN FRIEDLER
Personal Background
Date of birth: March 14, 1959Academic Degrees
1986 BSc (cum laude), Faculty of Agriculture – Hebrew University
1994 DSc (direct course of studies), Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technion – ITT
Professional Experience
1994 – 1995 Post-doctoral fellow, Department of Civil Engineering, Imperial College of Science Technology & Medicine, London, UK
1996 – 2001 Partner in a private consulting firm
2001 – present Senior Lecturer, EWRE section, Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Technion – ITT
Research Interests
Development of alternative water sources as part of sustainable management of water in the urban sector
Extensive wastewater treatment systems Processes occurring in sewer systems
Processes affecting water quality in catchment basins
Research Grants
21 research grants (since 10.2001)
Graduate Students
Publications
29 papers in International peer-reviewed journals 4 chapters in scientific books
5 invited presentations in international conferences 7 invited presentations in national conferences 5 refereed papers in conference proceedings 17 contributed papers in international conferences
List of Research Conducted during the Years 2006 – 2007
2004-6 Investigation of biological and physicochemical treatment of domestic greywater. Water Commission
2004-7 Study of the factors affecting the performance of a mature subsurface horizontal flow constructed wetland. JNF (KKL) Land Development Fund
2004-7 Modelling MTBE and BTEX in Lake Kinneret as a tool for the assessment of the risk to the quality of the lake water. Water Commission, Grand Water Research Institute, Technion (Matching Grant)
2004-7 OPTIMA: Optimisation for Sustainable Water Resources Management. The European Commission under the INCO-MPC programme. Project partners from Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Turkey. Executed through IPCRI (Israel Palestine Centre for Research and Information). PI-1 (Israel) Becker N. (Univ. of Haifa), PI-2 Friedler E., PI-3 (Palestine) M. Haddad (Al-Njah Univ., Nablus)
2005-7 Investigation of methods for elimination of malodours and minimisation of corrosion damages in municipal sewers: The sewer main of Neve-David Haifa as a case study. Haifa municipality; Pinhas Sapir Fund for Applied Research in the Municipal Government (Mif’al Ha’Pa’is), The Grand Water Research Institute, Technion (matching grant). PI-1 Friedler E., PI-2 Lahav O.
2005-7 Calibration and implementation of “QUEST” method as a basis for developing a tool for the assessment of sewer exfiltration and its minimization. Ministry of Environment; The Grand Water Research Institute, Technion (matching grant).
PI-1 Friedler E., PI-2 Lahav O.
2006-7 Low intensity ultrasonic radiation for control of planktonic and filamentous algae in reservoirs and flowing waters. Mekorot - Israel National Water Company; The Grand Water Research Institute, Technion (matching grant).
2007-9 Safe on-site reuse of greywater: Minimisation of the risks associated with greywater reuse in urban and rural environments. Israel Water Authority. PI-1 Gross A. (Ben-Gurion Univ.) PI-2 Friedler E.
List of Recent Publications
1. Friedler E., 2004. Quality of individual domestic greywater streams and its implication on on-site treatment and reuse possibilities. Env.. Tech., 25(9): 997-1008. 2. Friedler E., Galil N. I. and Kovalio R., 2005. On-site greywater treatment and reuse in
multi-storey buildings. Wat. Sci. & Tech., 51(10): 187-194.
3. Friedler E. and Hadari M., 2006. Economic feasibility of on-site greywater reuse in multi storey buildings. Desalination, 190: 221-234.
4. Friedler E., Kovalio R. and Ben-Zvi A., 2006. Comparative study of the microbial quality of greywater treated by three on-site treatment systems. Env. Tech., 27(6): 653-663.
5. Friedler E. and Lahav O., 2006. Centralised Urban Wastewater Reuse: What is the Public Attitude? Wat. Sci. & Tech., 54(6-7): 423-430.
6. Lahav O., Binder A. and Friedler E., 2006. A different approach for predicting reaeration rates in gravity sewers and completely mixed tanks. Wat. Env. Res., 78(7): 730-739.
7. Lahav O., Sagiv A. and Friedler E., 2006. A different approach for predicting H2S(g) emission rates in gravity sewers. Wat. Res., 40: 259-266.
8. 1 Friedler E., Lahav O., Jizhaki H. and Lahav T., 2006. Study of urban population attitudes towards various wastewater reuse options: Israel as a case study. J. of Env. Manage., 81(4): 360-370.
9. Friedler E. and Pisanty E., 2006. Effects of design flow and treatment level on construction and operation costs of municipal wastewater treatment plants and their implications on policy making. Wat. Res., 40(20): 3751-3758.
10. Geller Y., Zimmerman R. and Friedler E., 2007. Evaluation of the Hydraulic Performance of the Regional Sewer Network of the Greater Tel-Aviv Metropolitan Area (Israel). Wat. Practice & Tech., 2(2). (7 p. E-journal)
11. Friedler E., Katz I. and Dozorets C. G., 2008. Chlorination and coagulation as pretreatments for greywater desalination. Desalination, 222: 38-49
12. Aizenchtadt E., Ingman D. and Friedler E., 2008. Quality Control of Wastewater Treatment: A New Approach. Europ. J. of Operational Res., 189: 445-458
13. Gilboa Y. and Friedler E., 2008. UV disinfection of RBC treated light greywater effluent: kinetics, survival and regrowth of selected microorganisms. Wat. Res., 42(4-5): 1043-1050.
14. Firrer D., Friedler E. and Lahav O., 2008. Control of sulfide in sewer systems by dosage of iron salts: comparison between theoretical and experimental results. Sci. of the Total Env., 392: 145-156.
15. 2 Friedler E., 2008 The water saving potential and the socio-economic feasibility of greywater reuse within the urban sector – Israel as a case study. Int. J. of Env. Studies, 65(1): 57-69.
1 Number 13 in the Top 25 Hottest Articles List of the Journal - Oct-Dec 2006 (the most downloaded articles); Number
23 in the Top 25 Hottest Articles List of the Journal - Oct-Dec 2007
2
16. Friedler E., Shwartzman Z. and Ostfeld A., 2008. Assessment of the reliability of an on-site MBR system for greywater treatment and the associated aesthetic and health risks. Wat. Sci. & Tech., 57(7): 1103-1110.
Abstracts
Economic feasibility of on-site greywater reuse in multi storey buildings
Friedler E. and Hadari M.
Desalination 190: 221-234, 2006
This paper analyses the economic feasibility of on-site greywater reuse in the urban sector. RBC and MBR based systems were selected as model systems for the economic analysis. The analysis showed that the investment costs of an RBC-based system consist less than 0.5% of flat price for building of more than 20 flats (5 storeys). Under water price of 1.16 US$/m3 and sewage charges of 0.3 US$/m3 the RBC-based system became economically feasible when building size reached 7 storeys (28 flats); The on-site MBR-based system was proven to be economically unrealistic, becoming economically feasible when building size exceeded 40 storeys. Cluster MBR based systems, incorporating several buildings together, became feasible when cluster size was 4 buildings or more (each 10 storey high). Subsidy of 0.7 US$/m3reused resulted in much smaller systems becoming economically feasible: when building size was 4 storey high (16 flats) for the RBC system; 2 buildings for the cluster MBR system, while the on-site MBR system (single building) remained unfeasible.
Comparative study of the microbial quality of greywater treated by three on-site treatment systems
Friedler E., Kovalio R. and Ben-Zvi A.
Env. Tech. 27(6): 653-663, 2006
Centralised urban wastewater reuse: What is the public attitude? Friedler E. and Lahav O.
Wat. Sci. & Tech. 54(6-7): 423-430, 2006
Public support is crucial for successful implementation of wastewater reuse projects. This paper analyses the findings of a questionnaire-type survey (256 participants) conducted to determine the attitude of Israeli urban public towards possible urban reuse options. The paper summarises the support / objection to 13 reuse options and the correlation between support and environmental awareness and perceptions. Results show that a high proportion of the participants supported options perceived as low-contact, such as irrigation of public parks (96%), sidewalk landscaping (95%) and use in the construction industry (94%), while higher contact reuse options found less support (e.g. commercial launderettes, 60%). No correlation was found between biographical characteristics and support (education, gender, income, age). Based on the results, public campaigns in Israel should focus on disseminating information regarding wastewater treatment technologies, discuss health related issues, highlight the positive economic impact of water reuse and generate a positive public opinion, as these factors tend to influence individuals to support reuse projects.
A different approach for predicting reaeration rates in gravity sewers and completely mixed tanks
Lahav O., Binder A. and Friedler E.
Wat. Env. Res. 78(7): 730-739, 2006
A different approach for predicting H2S(g) emission rates in gravity sewers
Lahav O., Sagiv A. and Friedler E.
Wat. Res. 40: 259-266, 2006
All detrimental phenomena (malodors, metal corrosion, concrete disintegration, health hazard) associated with hydrogen sulfide in gravity sewers depend on the rate of H2S emission from the aqueous phase to the gas phase of the pipe. In this paper a different approach for predicting H2S(g) emission rates from gravity sewers is presented, using concepts adapted from mixing theory. The mean velocity gradient (G= γ⋅S⋅V/µ ; S = slope, V = mean velocity), representing mixing conditions in gravity flow, was used to quantify the rate of H2S(g) emission in part-full gravity sewers. Based on this approach an emission equation was developed. The equation was verified and calibrated by performing twenty experiments in a 27-m gravity-flow experimental-sewer (D = 0.16 m) at various hydraulic conditions. Results indicate a clear dependency of the sulfide stripping-rate on G1 (R2 = 0.94) with the following overall emission equation:
⋅ − + + ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ = − − − − − H H2S p 2 2 1 1 T ) 20 ( cs 7 T K P 10 10 1 S 024 . 1 A w V/µ S γ 10 8 dt ] d[S pH s s pH s T K K
K , where
ST = total sulfide concentration in the aqueous phase, mg/L; w = flow surface width, m; Acs = cross sectional area, m2; T = temperature, oC, and PpH2S = partial pressure of H2S(g) in the sewer atmosphere, atm.
Study of urban population attitudes towards various wastewater reuse options: Israel as a case study
Friedler E., Lahav O., Jizhaki H. and Lahav T.
J. of Env. Manage. 81(4): 360-370, 2006
most important reason for support was “water saving”, followed by “minimization of importing water from abroad”. These were followed by “infrastructure cost saving” together with “environmental improvement”.
Effects of design flow and treatment level on construction and operation costs of municipal wastewater treatment plants and their implications on policy making
Friedler E. and Pisanty E.
Wat. Res. 40(20): 3751-3758, 2006
Construction costs of 55 municipal wastewater treatment plants in Israel (secondary, advanced secondary, and advanced treatment) were analysed in order to derive cost functions expressing the effects of design flow and treatment level on construction costs. Three equations were derived (statistically significant, p<0.01), one for each treatment level. These indicate that economy of scale may become weaker as treatment level rises. Analysis of the distribution of construction costs revealed negative correlation (p<0.05) between the proportional cost of civil engineering and design flow, positive correlation (p<0.05) between the proportional cost of elecromechanical equipment and design flow, and no correlation between the proportional cost of electricity and control and design flow. Operation costs were found to be 20-70% more sensitive than construction costs to treatment level. The share of operation costs as part of the total annual costs was found to increase both with design flow and treatment level, whereas the share of construction costs concurrently decreased. The implication of the findings on policy, and consequently on treatment plants performance is discussed in the last part of the paper.
Evaluation of the hydraulic performance of the regional sewer network of the greater Tel-Aviv metropolitan area (Israel)
Geller Y., Zimmerman R. and Friedler E.
Wat. Practice & Tech. 2(2) (7 p. E-journal) 2007
This paper describes a study of the hydraulic performance of the regional sewer network of greater Tel-Aviv. The network, which is 60 km long, serves 1.8 million people in 24 municipalities with an average flow of 340,000 m3·d-1. The study comprised of two stages: a sampling campaign that lasted for several months followed by a simulation stage that revealed the hydraulic performance of the whole sewer network. The paper describes the methodology of the study and the results that showed that only limited segments of the network are at their full capacity and should be replaced immediately. These segments are situated at the upper end of the network. The final part of the paper discusses the contribution of the information gained by the study to the engineering department who runs the network.
Performance of the regional sewer network of the greater Tel-Aviv metropolitan area (Israel)
Geller Y., Zimmerman R. and Friedler E.
Evaluation of the Hydraulic Wat. Practice & Tech. 2(2) (7 p. E-journal) 2007
Chlorination and coagulation as pretreatments for greywater desalination
Friedler E., Katz I. and Dozorets C. G.
Desalination 222: 38-49, 2008
On-site greywater reclamation is thought to enhance water usage efficiency and decrease urban water demand. Direct membrane filtration is an attractive approach for treatment of greywater in residential areas due to its small footprint and high reliability, as product quality is insensitive to fluctuations in inflow quality. The research evaluated coagulation or chlorination as possible pretreatments for ultrafiltration followed by RO desalination. The system was fed with “light” greywater (avg. TOC, TN and P – 24.9, 4.6 and 0.7 mg·L-1; turbidity – 34 NTU). Direct filtration, without pretreatment, resulted in sharp decrease of the UF permeability, due to organic fouling and biofouling. The RO membrane was suspected for phosphate salt scaling. To overcome these drawbacks, coagulation and chlorination were evaluated as pretreatment options prior to UF. Chlorine demand of the greywater was 10-20 mg·L-1. Applying this dose and controlling residual chlorine in the UF feed, lowered the fouling rate by 33%. Mass balances calculations indicated that chlorination inhibited microbial activity in the UF system. The partial oxidation of the organic matter, achieved by the chlorination pretreatment, may have changed the properties of the organic matter and thus its reactivity with the UF and RO membranes. Next, ferric chloride was tested as a coagulant. Dosing 50 mg·L-1 ferric chloride reduced the UF flux decline rate by 43%, mainly due to a 38% decrease of the organic load. After coagulation, larger particles with narrower size distribution were observed in the feed (average size ~0.5 µm). This upward shift resulted in a more porous filtration cake buildup on the UF membrane, a finding which supports the enhanced performance. Greywater desalination demonstrated the ability to produce high quality effluents and the RO sensitivity to different parameters. Although a positive synergistic effect could be anticipated, the combined coagulation-chlorination process increased fouling rate probably due to the increase in the concentration polarization phenomenon, as a result of a rise in the concentrations of counter ions associated with the pretreatment reactants and possible surplus of the latter. The results indicate that greywater pretreatment is a prerequisite to hamper UF membrane biofouling. Coagulation was found to be superior to chlorination for the UF. Effluents produced by each of the membranal steps were of excellent quality that can be used for various purposes, being low in organic content, suspended matter and colloids (UF), or desalinated (RO).
Quality control of wastewater treatment: A new approach Aizenchtadt E., Ingman D. and Friedler E.
Europ. J. of Operational Res. 189: 445-458, 2008
UV disinfection of RBC treated light greywater effluent: Kinetics, survival and regrowth of selected microorganisms
Gilboa Y. and Friedler E.
Wat. Res. 42(4-5): 1043-1050, 2008
The microbial quality of raw greywater was found to be much better than that of municipal wastewater, with 1.6×107 cfu ml-1 HPC, and 3.8×104, 9.9×103,3.3×103 and 4.6·100 cfu 100ml-1 FC, Staphylococcus aureus sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa sp. and Clostridium perfringes sp., respectively. Further, three viral indicators monitored (Somatic phage, host: E. coli CN13 and F-RNA phages, hosts: E. coli F+amp, E. coli K12) were not present in raw greywater. The greywater was treated by an RBC followed by sedimentation. The treatment removed two orders of magnitude of all bacteria. UV disinfection kinetics, survival and regrowth of HPC, FC, P. aeruginosa sp. and S. aureus sp. were examined. At doses up to 69 mW·s·cm-2 FC were found to be the most resistant bacteria, followed by HPC, P. aeruginosa sp., and S. aureus sp. (inactivation rate coefficients: 0.0687, 0.113, 0.129 and 0.201 cm2·mW-1·s-1, respectively). At higher doses (69-439 mW·s·cm-2) all but HPC (which exhibited a tailing curve) were completely eliminated. Microscopic examination showed that FC self-aggregate in the greywater effluent. This provides FC an advantage at low doses, since the concentration of suspended matter (that can provide shelter from UV radiation) in the effluent was very low. FC, P. aeruginosa sp. and S. aureus sp. did not exhibit regrowth up to six hours after exposure to increasing UV doses (19-439 mW·s·cm -2
). HPC regrowth was proven to be statistically significant in un-disinfected effluent and after irradiation with high UV doses (147, 439 mW·s·cm-2). At these doses regrowth resulted from growth of UV resistant bacteria due to decreased competition with other bacteria eliminated by the irradiation.
Control of sulfide in sewer systems by dosage of iron salts: comparison between theoretical and experimental results
Firrer D., Friedler E. and Lahav O.
Sci. of the Total Env. 392: 145-156, 2008
appears that the high Fe to S(-II) ratios often recommended in practice can be reduced considerably by applying tight in-line control.
The water saving potential and the socio-economic feasibility of greywater reuse within the urban sector – Israel as a case study
Friedler E.
Int. J. of Env. Studies 65(1): 57-69, 2008
This paper demonstrates that on-site greywater reuse is acceptable by the Israeli public and is an economically feasible solution for decreasing urban water demand. The penetration ratio of greywater reuse in Israel was estimated at 19–31% in 2025 (population ~10×106), which is equivalent to water saving of 30–51×106 m3/y. The public was found to highly support the six reuse options suggested, with an overall average grade of 85%. Nevertheless, people supported public reuse more than reuse in their homes. The economic analysis showed that on-site greywater reuse can be economically feasible especially where water prices continuously increase. Under the current Israeli water and sewage tariffs an RBC-based reuse system became economically feasible when building size reached seven storeys (26 flats). The unit cost of greywater was found to be very sensitive to the system's size especially in the small size range.
Assessment of the reliability of an on-site MBR system for greywater treatment and the associated aesthetic and health risks
Friedler E., Shwartzman Z. and Ostfeld A.
Wat. Sci. & Tech. 57(7): 1103-1110, 2008
