Israel Active

Following last week’s article about Israel’s Co-Energy (see ) another process is being researched at Tel Aviv University. Waste is superheated and catalysts are used to separate it into biofuel and a solid biochar that can be used elsewhere, while isolating the extracted greenhouse gases inside.

A University of Haifa study has found that a coastal strip south of Haifa, is an effective natural habitat for the endangered cartilaginous (“guitar”) fish. The Israeli location provides food, protection from predators, and shelter (factors also enjoyed by Israeli citizens!).

Israel’s AI21 Labs (see previously) has launched Jamba 1.5 for the development of GenAI systems that need to process large volumes of text.  It fully supports Hebrew and Arabic languages.  CEO Ori Goshen says they included Hebrew support “for Zionist reasons”, as it is not a big market.

Israel’s Lettuce Financial has launched LettuceHead AI - a free AI-chat bot specialized to answer solopreneurs tax and accounting questions. It is designed for businesses run by solopreneurs (one-person companies) who need guidance on how to approach and manage their businesses accounting and taxes.

When plants such as sunflowers are planted together in dense patches, they will grow in such a way to give maximum sunlight to their neighbors. A team including Tel Aviv researchers discovered that sunflowers can distinguish between another plant and an inanimate object such as a building.

Two graduates from Israel’s Technion Institute have managed to seize control of Siemens’ new controllers, which are among the most secure in the world, by deciphering their communication protocol. As a result of the successful attack, Siemens have updated the software.

Israeli startups Quantum Machines and Classiq are now founding members of the QuEra Quantum Alliance Partner Program launched by QuEra Computing, a leader in neutral-atom quantum computing. The 19 leading quantum companies aim to advance quantum computer development.

Traditional aquatics uses the wastewater from fish farms to grow hydroponic vegetables. Now scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University have also made use of the solid waste from fish by means of anaerobic digestion. The new system produces biogas, higher crop yields, using less energy and less water.

Israel’s Co-Energy turns plastic and organic waste into energy. No waste pre-sorting is necessary. The process involves pyrolysis – super-heating without the use of oxygen. It turns plastic into a form of oil or gas and wood into biochar (a type of charcoal used to improve soil health). See also .

Israel’s BomVento (see previously) is developing a coating for the blades on wind turbines that can extract greenhouse gasses (GHG) from the air even as the turbines operate. BomVento estimates that the world’s 300,000 wind turbines could remove 3 billion tons of GHG per year.