Professor Avner Adin (Feb. 3, 1943) is an internationally renowned environmental leader, engineer, scientist and innovator who combines teaching, research, technology and engineering practice in the field of water in policy, treatment, wastewater reuse and water security and safety. Serves as Chairman of Israel Institute of Standards' Central Water Committee after serving as Israel's national Drinking Water Standards Committee. Also:

• Prof. Adin received his B.Sc, Ing., M.Sc and D.Sc. degrees from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Haifa), and did post-doctoral work at the University of Iowa (USA). Appointed to the Hebrew University’s Lunenfeld-Kunin Chair of Environmental Sciences, Prof. Adin has taught and conducted research at additional leading institutes and universities including Iowa State University, University of Houston, University of Cincinnati and University of South Florida (USA); McMaster University (Canada); National University of México (Mexico); Hokkaido University (Japan); Ocean University of China, Nanyang Technological University of Singapore and National University of Singapore.
• Founder and first President of the Israel Water Association, National Member of IWA.
• Prof. Adin is the founder, Chairman and Chief Scientist of Adin Holdings, an international water consulting and solutions company and a founding partner of Treatec21 Industries, Ltd., which develops, finances and construct innovative, tailor made water treatment processes. Additionally serves as Director, partner and Advisory Board Member in other companies and technological incubators.
• Served as a Management Team member of SWITCH - a multi-million EU international project on Integrated Water Management in Future Cities.
• Provided expert engineering assistance and performed applied research for a variety of national and international organizations including CONAGUA (Mexico), The World Bank, WHO, USAID, USEPA, WRC (Canada), CSRI (South Africa), PUB (Singapore) and a number of private sector clients including Culligan, International Harvester, Coca-Cola and Intel.
• Organizer and Chair of the emerging IWA (International Water Association) Working Group on Post Treatment in Desalination and member of WHO experts team on Ca/Mg in Drinking Water.
• Received the ANEAS´s Achievement Award - On behalf the National Water and Sanitation Utilities of Mexico “recognizing your prominent extended career in the water and sanitation”. Granted by Mexico’s Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Ing. Juan José Guerra Abud, and ANEAS President, Ing. Roberto Olivares.
• Academic research areas: Filtration, particle characterization, electro-flocculation, membrane fouling and bio-nano-particles interactions. Recently: water policy and the new water cycle.
• Prof. Adin has published hundreds of scientific and technical articles in the areas of water treatment and reuse and environmental pollution control. Prof. Adin is the Founder and Past-President of the Israeli Water Association - currently Foreign Affairs Officer and a Distinguished Member of the board - and a founder of Waterfronts-Israeli Water Union, and a board member of the International Water Association (IWA) where he also serves on the Committee of the Specialist Group on Particle Separation.

Research in Water Treatment and Pollution Control Technology

Two main areas relating to water quality, a major concern in Israel and world wide, are investigated: potable water treatment and advanced wastewater treatment for water reuse. The common denominator of both topics is the emphasis which is put on particle research in relation to solid/liquid separation processes, such as coagulation, flocculation, filtration, sedimentation and flotation.

Solid particles in water, such as clay, metal oxides, algea and other organic, cause turbidity and are associated with bacteria and virus even in invisible concentrations. Their enhanced removal from water assures that the treatment system is also impermeable to parasites. Solids separation and removal from water and wastewater effluents protects irrigation systems, desalination membranes and groundwater enrichment facilities from clogging.

Research topics include particle characterization in water and wastewater, raw and treated; study of particle transport, attachment and detachment mechanisms; mathemtical modeling; development of high-rate, granular filtration as well as slow granular filtration processes; application of metallic and polymeric coagulants for process improvement; development of local filtering materials; filter bed optimization; pre-tretment of saline water for desalination by reverse osmosis; clogging mechanisms in drip irrigation systems and their prevention; sludge minimization and reuse in water treatment plant; removal of virus and parasites in water treatment processes; and more.

Some of the research work is inter or multi-disciplinary, such as investigations that relate to filtration of microorganisms, or the development of water quality control in effluent reservoirs via satellites.

Short term investigations are being held in conjunction with industry. Industries that have difficulties in complying with stringent effluent standards or with high manufacturing standards, are looking here for solutions to their problems. Among them are electronics, textile, metal finishing, pharmaceutics and various food factories.

As can be seen from the above description, in-depth scientific learning and engineering applications serve together to protect our vulnerable aquatic environment.