Prof. Ronen’s main research interests can be divided into several categories:
1) Bioremediation of contaminated groundwater and soil;
2) Bio-treatment of industrial wastewater;
3) Biodegradation of organic pollutants;
4) Safe reuse of treated effluents.
In the framework of the first category, he investigates factors that influence the survival and activity of microorganisms in polluted soil and groundwater from arid zones. A novel approach to the utilization of a mixed culture of halophenol-degrading microorganisms has been applied to contaminated soil. Similarly, the use of adhesive microorganisms is suggested to improve biodegradation of pollutants in a fractured aquifer. Currently, Dr. Ronen is trying to improve our understanding of microbial activity in situ using stable isotopes as well as metabolic fingerprints. In the area of treatment of industrial wastewater, he is interested in the interaction between the inorganic constituents of wastewater, particularly nitrogen, and the microbial constituents, and the ability of microorganisms to degrade the target N-containing organic pollutants. His research is now concentrated on elucidating the mechanisms by which high levels of ammonia or nitrate influence the biodegradation of explosives. In the area of biodegradation of organic pollutants, he is investigating the biodegradation of brominated compounds. This research is focused on understanding the biochemistry, physiology and ecology of themicroorganismsinvolved, particularly anaerobic ones.
An additional aspect of water quality is the local reuse of treated wastewater. Dr. Ronen’s main interest in this subject is assessment of the potential for survival of pathogenic bacteria in wastewater. His main goal is to find efficient and cost-effective disinfection methods to protect human health.

Scientific Publications 2015-2020

1. Lutskiy, M.-Y(S)., S. Avneri-Katz(S), N. Zhu(S), M. Itsko(S), Z. Ronen(PI), C. Arnusch(PI), and R. Kasher(PI). 2015. A microbiology-based assay for quantification of bacterial early stage biofilm formation on reverse-osmosis and nanofiltration membranes. Separation and Purification Technology, 141: 214–220. (IF: 3.1, cited: 4, ranked: 16/134, Q1, Chemical Engineering).
2. Sweity, A(S)., T. Rezene Zere(S), I. David, S. Bason(S), Y.Oren(C), Z. Ronen(C), M. Herzberg(PI). 2015. Side Effects of antiscalants on biofouling of reverse osmosis Membranes in brackish water desalination. Journal of Membrane Science, 481:172–187. (IF: 5.05, cited:1, ranked: 7/134, Q1, Chemical Engineering).
3. Kozell A. (S), Y. Yecheskel(C), N. Balaban(S), I. Dror(C), L. Halicz(C), Z. Ronen(PI) and F. Gelman, (PI) . 2015. Application of dual carbon-bromine isotope analysis for investigating abiotic transformations of tribromoneopentyl alcohol (TBNPA). Environmental Science and Technology, 49:4433–4440. (IF: 6.65, cited: 4, ranked: 8/225, Q1, Environmental Sciences).
4. Aruety, T(S)., T. Brunner(T) , Z. Ronen(PI), A. Gross(PI), K. Sowers(PI), and D. Zilberg(PI). 2016. Decreasing levels of the fish pathogen Streptococcus iniae following inoculation into the sludge digester of a zero-discharge recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). Aquaculture, 450: 335-341. (IF: 1.83, cited: 3, ranked: 12/50, Q1, Fisheries).
5. Gat D(S)., Z. Ronen(PI) and M. Tsesarsky(PI). 2016. Soil bacteria population dynamics following stimulation for ureolytic microbial-induced CaCO3 precipitation. Environmental Science and Technology, 50:616–624. (IF: 6.65, cited: 0, ranked: 8/225, Q1, Environmental Sciences).
6. Gafni A(S)., R. Rosenzweig(C), F. Gelman(PI), and Z. Ronen(PI). 2016. Anaerobic biodegradation of MTBE in a field site above the Israeli Coastal Aquifer: evidence from δ13C compound-specific isotope analysis. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, 91:1638–1645. (IF: 3.13, cited: 0, ranked: 72/163, Q2, Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology).
7. Fox, S(S)., T. Bruner(T), Y. Oren(PI), J. Gilron(PI) and Z. Ronen(PI). 2016. Concurrent microbial reduction of high concentrations of nitrate and perchlorate in an ion exchange membrane bioreactor. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 113:1881-1891 (IF: 4.13, cited: 1, ranked: 24/163, Q1, Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology).
8. Sher Y(S)., Z. Ronen(PI) and A. Nejidat(PI).2016. Differential response of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria to the wetting of salty arid soil. Journal of Basic Microbiology, 56: 900-906. (IF: 1.83, cited: 1, Ranked: 84/119, Q3, Microbiology).
9. Balaban, N(S)., A. Bernstein(PI), F. Gelman(PI) and Z. Ronen(PI). 2016. Microbial degradation of the brominated flame retardant TBNPA by groundwater bacteria: laboratory and field study. Chemosphere, 156: 367-373 (IF: 4.42, cited: 0, ranked: 31/225, Q1, Environmental Sciences).
10. Standing, D(PD). T. Brunner (T), T. Aruety (S), Z. Ronen(PI) A. Gross(PI) and D. Zilberg(PI) (2017). Mortality of Cryptocaryon irritans in sludge from a digester of a marine recirculating aquaculture system. Aquaculture, 467: 134–137 (IF: 1.83, cited: 0, ranked: 12/50, Q1, Fisheries).
11. Avishai, L(S)., H. Siebner(C), and O. Dahan(PI), and Z. Ronen (PI) (2017). Using the natural bio-degrading potential of shallow soils for in-situ remediation of deep vadose zone and groundwater. Journal of Hazardous Material. 324: 398–405 (IF 6.06, cited: 0, ranked 19/225 Q1, Environmental Sciences) .
12. Sela-Adler M.(S)., Z. Ronen(PI), B. Herut (C), G. Antler (PD), H. Vigderovich (s), W. Eckert(PI), O. Sivan(PI). 2017. Co-existence of methanogenesis and sulfate reduction with common substrates in sulfate-rich estuarine sediments. Frontier Microbiology 8: 766. (IF 4.16, cited: 0, ranked 8/123 Q1 Microbiology).
13. Zakon, Y(S)., L. Halicz (C) , Z. Ronen(PI) and F. Gelman(PI). 2017. Analytical method for δ37Cl isotope analysis in perchlorate by hyphenation of Ion Chromatography to Multi Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (IC/MC-ICPMS). Chemosphere 184: 192-196 ( IF: 4.42, cited: 0, ranked: 31/225, Q1, Environmental Sciences).
14. Gat, D (S).., Z. Ronen(PI), M. Tsesarsky(PI). 2017. Long-term sustainability of microbial-induced caco3 precipitation in aqueous media. Chemosphere 184: 524-531 (IF: 4.42, cited: 0, ranked: 31/225, Q1, Environmental Sciences).
15. Dahan, O(PI)., I. Katz (S), L. Avishai(S) and Z. Ronen (PI). 2017. Using vadose-zone monitoring technology to optimize remediation strategies. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 21: 4011–4020 (IF:3.99, cited:0, ranked: 4/85, Q1, Water Resources).
16. Moshkovich, E(S)., F. Gelman(C), Z. Ronen(PI) and O. Dahan(PI). 2018. In-situ bioremediation of fuel contaminated vadose zone – Implications from direct observations. Vadoze Zone Journal, 17:1. (IF:1.93, cited:0, ranked: 17/34, Q2, Soil Sciences).
17. Tsesarsky, M(PI)., D. Gat(S) and Z. Ronen(PI), 2018. Biological aspects of microbial-induced calcite precipitation. Environmental Geotechnics. 5: 69-78 (No impact factor, new journal).
18. Xihui X (PD),. R. Zarecki(PD), S. Medina(T), S. Ofaim(S), X. Liu(T), C. Chen(T), S. Hu(T), D. Brom(S), D. Gat (PD), S. Probe(S), H. Eizenberg(PI), Z. Ronen(PI), J. Jiang(PI), S. Freilich(PI) . 2019. Modelling microbial communities from atrazine contaminated soils promotes the development of bio-stimulation solutions. ISME Journal, 13: 494–508 (IF 9.52, ranked 9/125 Microbiology Q1).
19. Golan, R. A. Taylor, F. Gelman, T. Kuder, Z. Ronen, A. Bernstein. 2019. Degradation of 4-bromophenol by Ochrobactrum sp. HI1 isolated from desert soil: pathway and isotope effects. Biodegradation, 30: 37-46.
20. Troiano, E., L. Beneduce, A. Gross and Z. Ronen. 2018 Antibiotic-resistant bacteria in greywater and greywater-irrigated soils. Frontiers in Microbiology 9.
21. Makover, V., Z. Ronen, Y. Lubin and I. Khalaila. Eggshell spheres protect brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus) eggs from bacterial infection. 2019. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 16: p.20180581.
22. Levkov, I. Z. Ronen, and O. Dahan. 2019. Combined in-situ bioremediation treatment for perchlorate pollution in the vadose zone and groundwater. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 369:439-447.
23. Balaban, N., I. Yankelzon, E. Adar, F. Gelman, Z. Ronen , and A. Bernstein. 2019. The spatial distribution of the microbial community in a contaminated aquitard below an industrial zone. Water, 11: 2128.
24. Gafni, A., F. Gelman, Z. Ronen, and A. Bernstein. 2019. Variable carbon and chlorine isotope fractionation in TCE co-metabolic oxidation. Chemosphere 242 :125-130.
25. Yankelzon, I., T. Englman, A. Bernstein, H. Siebner, Z. Ronen, and F. Gelman. 2020. Multi-elemental C-Br-Cl isotope analysis for characterizing biotic and abiotic transformations of 1-bromo-2-chloroethane (BCE). Environmental Science and Pollution Research:1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08870-6.
26. Yang Y., A. Bogler, Z. Ronen, G. Oron, M. Herzberg, and R. Bernstein. 2020. Initial Deposition and Pioneering Colonization on Polymeric Membranes of Anaerobes Isolated from an Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (AnMBR). Environmental Science and Technology. 54: 5832-5842.
27. Istvan, P., and Z. Ronen. 2020. Draft Genome Sequence of Gordonia sp. Strain YY1, Isolated from an Explosive-Contaminated Environment. Microbiology Resource Announcements. 9 (16) e00070-20; DOI: 10.1128/MRA.00070-20
28. Istvan, P., and Z. Ronen. 2020. Draft Genome Sequences of Rhodococcus sp. Strains YH1 andT7, Isolated from Explosive-Contaminated Environments. Microbial Resources Announcement. 9 ,22 e00097-2092.
29. Zheng, L., Z. Ronen, F. Gelman, O. Crouvi, G. Arye, and R. Rosenzweig. 2020. Reclamation of oil-induced soil hydrophobicity in the hyperarid Evrona nature reserve. Accepted, Pedosphere.
30. Porob, S., H. Craddock, Y. Motro, O. Sagi, M. Gdalevich, Z. Ezery, N. Davidovitch, Z. Ronen, and J. Moran-Gilad. 2020. Quantification and characterization of antimicrobial resistance in greywater discharged to the environment. Water 12: 1460.
31. Xiong J, G. Lia, P. Peng, F. Gelman, Z. Ronen, and T. An. 2020. Mechanism investigation and stable isotope change during photochemical degradation of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in water under LED white light irradiation. Chemosphere, 258: 127378.
32. Ofaim, S., R. Zarecki, S. Porob, D. Gat, T. Lahav, Y. Kashi, R. Aly, H. Eizenberg, Z. Ronen and S. Freilich 2020. Genome-Scale reconstruction of Paenarthrobacter aurescens TC1 metabolic model towards the study of atrazine bioremediation. Scientific Reports 10: 13019. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69509-7 .
33. Bogler, A., A. Packman, A. Furman, A. Gross, A. Kushmaro, A. Ronen, C. Dagot, C. Hill, D. Vaizel-Ohayon, E. Morgenroth, E. Bertuzzo, G. Wells , H. Raanan-Kiperwas, H. Horn, I. Negev, I. Zucker, I. Bar-Or, J. Moran-Gilad, J. Luis Balcazar, K. Bibby, M. Elimelech, N. Weisbrod, O. Nir, O. Sued, O. Gillor, P. J. Alvarez, S. Crameri, S. Arnon, S. Walker, S. Yaron, T. H. Nguyen, Y. Berchenko, Y. Hu, Z. Ronen, and Edo Bar-Zeev. 2020. Rethinking wastewater risks and monitoring in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature Sustainability 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00605-2.

.Sc. 1986 Agricultural Biochemistry and Food Technology. Faculty of Agriculture. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

Ph.D. 1992 Microbial Ecology. Laboratory of Soil Biochemistry. Department of Agronomy. College of Agriculture, The Pennsylvania State University. University Park, PA, USA.

Advisor: Prof. J.-M. Bollag

Thesis title: Bioremediation of Subsurface Sediments and Groundwater Contaminated with Pyridine and Alkylpyridines.