Akron, Ohio to partner with Israeli wastewater treatment firms
For three years, the Advanced Waste Water Treatment Demonstration Project will bring cutting edge water technologies developed by Israeli academics.
By SHARON UDASINSewer pipes(photo credit: NESS ZIONA MUNICIPALITY)
Aiming to further collaboration with Israel and solidify its position as a wastewater treatment hub, the city of Akron, Ohio, is partnering with a consortium of Israeli private and public industry leaders to host a pipeline of water purification projects.For three years, the Advanced Waste Water Treatment Demonstration Project will bring cutting edge water technologies developed by Israeli academics, government firms and private enterprises to the city of Akron, which will act as a testbed for commercializing these products, a statement from the Akron Municipality said.“This project will create new jobs and investment through business attraction, further our water initiative, and place Akron in the forefront of water innovation and technology,” Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic said in the statement on Monday. “We are being entrusted with an exclusive platform and pipeline for Israeli companies to demonstrate innovative technologies and new solutions for water treatment worldwide.”Akron, Plusquellic explained is an “ideal partner” for the project due to its central North American location.This positioning will enable the city to house demonstration activities and “help companies commercialize solutions more efficiently and access the US market,” he said.The city has previously joined forces with members of the Israeli water sector by partnering with the municipal water corporation in Netanya to develop and commercialize certain water solutions, as well as by cooperating with the Mekorot national water company to promote bilateral water collaborations, Plusquellic said.The Advanced Waste Water Treatment Demonstration Project will house the technologies of five Israeli water firms, Oren Blonder, vice president of sales & marketing at Advanced Mem-Tech Ltd., told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. In addition to Mem-Tech, which has led this project, four other companies will be selected to house their innovation at the Akron site, Blonder said.Financing for the project is coming from both the city of Akron and the companies involved, and the partners are in the process of acquiring additional funding from outside sources, according to Blonder.Technical support for the project is coming from Mekorot, the Technion- Israel Institute of Technology and the Israel Export Institute.Blonder stressed that he hopes to see the project “create a local demonstration platform” to attract clients and partners.
Equally crucially, he added, will be the receipt of “real-time feedback from the market so we can modify our project to the specific needs of the local market.”
