Research Interest

Plant Responses to Environmental Abiotic Stresses

The research of my group focuses on the development of biofilter made of dried biomass of the water fern Azolla and its application for heavy metal removal. We currently apply the biofilter for radioactive metal biosorption, jointly with Soreq Nuclear Center. In a pilot plant we demonstrate binding of Cobalt and Cesium from the final wastes of the reactor. Mechanism of metal binding is analyzed by scanning electron microscopy localizing metal binding groups. A 10KD metal, binding peptide has been sequenced and characterized. Lately we found that Cadmium, Mercury, Cobalt and Molybdenum are actively taken up by the water lily Nymphae and accumulate in roots petioles and blades

Phytoremediation of industrial sludges by the Nymphae is being developed for polluted sludge in Haifa Bay

We study stress tolerance to NaCl in Halomonas as a model system of osmoregulation by glycinebetaine. Tolerance to oxidative stress in beans responding to high light and iron nutrition involved enhanced chloroplast antioxidative components: Cu Zn SOD, ascorbate, ascorbate peroxidase, GSH and GSH-reductase .

Patents

Tel-Or, E. and Sela, M. (1991) US Patent - No. 5,000,852, "Process for the removal of Metal Ions from Solutions".

Tel-Or, E. and Sela, M. (1998) Israel Patent – No. 85771.

Tel-Or, E. and Sela, M. (1994) European Patent - 0333 218 2, same title.

Tel-Or, E. et al. (1997) "Ultrapurification Method and Samples". Patent applic. No. WO97/45372

Awards

1995 Winner of 1st Prize by the International Federation of Inventors Associations (IFIA) Mediterranean Competition for Inventions Protecting the Environment.

1999 Winner of Kay innovation award, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.