The Hydro-Chemistry Laboratory

The Hydro-Chemistry Laboratory is located in the Department of Geography and Environment and was set up in 2005 by Dr. Dror Avisar. This unique laboratory focuses on the new and emerging field of pharmaceutical contamination of water and on micro-pollutants in water sources. The lab is equipped to carry out studies on the occurrence, fate and transport of pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment. It contains state-of-the-art equipment and is staffed by a strong team of highly motivated graduate students and researchers. Dr. Avisar concentrates his research interest on understanding the physico-chemical processes of the occurrence and transport of pharmaceutical contaminants within the aquatic environment.

His current research activities include:

• Identification of specific degradation products of antibiotics
• Antibiotic sorption to sediment and sludge
• Occurrence of antibiotics residues in groundwater beneath effluent irrigated fields and industrial fish ponds
• Development of antibacterial resistance by exposure to wastewater
• Photolysis and oxidation of micro-pollutants in water
• UV and AOP as pretreatment for removing antibiotics.

Dror’s Laboratory is equipped with the following items:
HPLC-MS/MS as the main analytical system,  preparative HPLC for standards/ degradation products preparation and collection, compounds extraction systems within complicated matrix such as; SPE manifolds, rotavapor, lyophilizer, nitrogen vapor system, column system connected to automatic sampler  for sorption tests, spectrophotometer for the analysis of  representative water parameters (BOD, COD, TOC,  NO3,  NH4, Cl etc.), Ovens, hoods, shakers, incubators etc. 

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