MBR is establishing a wastewater treatment facility for Makhteshim at a cost of 77 million shekels.

MBR from Jerusalem is establishing a membrane-based wastewater treatment facility for the Makhteshim plant in Ramat Hovav at a cost of 77 million shekels. The facility will begin operating in mid‑2006.

The plant will treat 3,000 cubic meters of raw wastewater per day, which is equivalent in concentration to 40,000 cubic meters of municipal sewage, due to the high pollution levels produced by the factory.

At the end of the treatment process, the output will be sludge and water free of organic matter and nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. However, the facility does not treat salts, so the resulting water has high salinity, which prevents it from being used for all purposes. A decision has not yet been made regarding where these waters will be directed.

The government has not yet approved the Inbar Committee Report, which requires factories to produce low‑salinity water. As a result, most facilities still produce water with high salinity.