GRABER, ELLEN R.
Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences
The Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO); Bet Dagan, Israel 50250
Tel: 972-(0)3-968-3307; fax: 972-(0)3-960-4017
Email: ergraber@agri.gov.il
Home page: http://www.agri.gov.il/en/people/680.aspx
Israel Biochar Researchers Network (iBRN)
https://sites.google.com/site/ibrnisraelbiocharnetwork/
General Research Interests:
I am engaged predominantly in multi-faceted and cross-disciplinary research related to
agricultural and environmental sustainability. My major current research activities are directed
towards biochar use in agriculture, and involve understanding the mechanisms responsible for
plant growth promotion and improved plant resistance to disease under biochar addition. Other
focuses of biochar research include its effect on the fate of other soil-applied agrochemicals and
on soil contaminants, use during composting and poultry houses for reducing ammonia
emissions, and potential for soil remediation. Additional research directions include the
development of soil water repellency, the fate and transport of contaminants along the soilplant-groundwater-atmosphere continuum, groundwater quality, the influence of long-term
irrigation with treated wastewater on citrus, and the impact of soil application of olive mill
wastewater on soil chemistry.
Biochar: In 2009 I initiated an interdisciplinary research effort into biochar in Israel, and
established a network of researchers involved in biochar research in Israel. For more
information about our efforts, please visit the site of the Israel Biochar Researchers Network
(iBRN) https://sites.google.com/site/ibrnisraelbiocharnetwork/.
Education
Post-Doc
Ph.D.
M.Sc.
B.A.
1989-90
1989
1984
1981
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
The University of Texas at Austin, Texas, USA
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
Positions Held and Academic Status:
1990 - 1991
1991
1992 - date
1997
1998 - 2002
2005 – 2011
2006
2011
Environmental Scientist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
Dallas, Texas
Research Scientist, Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory
(EPA), Ada, Oklahoma
Research Scientist at the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), The
Volcani Center, Institute of Soil, Water, and Environmental Sciences
Promoted to Scientist (Level B), equivalent to Senior Lecturer
Deputy Director of National Laboratory for Water Quality
Scientific Advisor, Dept. of Environmental and Energy Sciences,
Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Promoted to Senior Scientist (Level A), equivalent to Associate Professor
Promoted to Senior Scientist (Level A+), equivalent to Full Professor
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Current Grants:
2010 Chief Scientist Ministry of Agriculture. Title: “The Biochar Vision” for adaptation and
mitigation of climate change - Waste treatment, carbon sink, energy source and soil
conditioner”.
2010 Israel Water Authority. Title: “Monitoring needs of Israel’s Coastal Plain Aquifer.”
2011 Chief Scientist Ministry of Agriculture. Title: “Biochar impacts on plant response to abiotic
stress.”
2011 Chief Scientist Ministry of Agriculture. Title: “Use of olive mill wastewater for weed
control in organic agriculture.”
2011 Chief Scientist of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Title: “Biofuels
Initiative. Pyrolysis of Agricultural Wastes for Biofuel Production.”
2012 Bi-National Israel-Italy Cooperation. Title: “Improving agricultural productivity through
sustainable soil management”.
2013 Chief Scientist of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Title: “Impact of biochar
on soil-borne diseases”.
2013 Chief Scientist of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Title: “Biochar reducing
ammonia emissions from poultry houses”
2013 Chief Scientist of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Title: “Composting with
biochar to reduce N losses and improve compost quality”
Publications:
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Wang, Q., Graber, E.R., Wallach, R. (2013) Specific and synergistic effects of geometry,
inertia, and dynamic contact angle on wetting and dewetting of capillaries with varying
cross sections. Journal of Colloid and Interface Sciences, accepted pending minor revision.
Kurtzman, D., Netzer, L., Weisbrod, N., Nasser, A., Graber, E.R., and Ronen, D. (2012)
Deep aquifer characterization using analyses of sequential multilevel sampling. Hydrology
and Earth System Sciences, 16, 761-771.
Curuk, S., Cetiner, S., Yalcin-Mendi, Y., Carmeli-Weissberg, M., Graber, E.R., and Gaba,
Y. (2012). Food-grade sugar can promote differentiation in melon (Cucumis melo L.) tissue
culture. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. - Plant, DOI: 10.1007/s11627-012-9453-0.
Meller Harel, Y., Elad, Y., Rav David, D., Borenstein, M., Schulcani, R., Lew, B., Graber,
E.R. (2012) Biochar mediates systemic response of strawberry to foliar fungal pathogens.
Plant and Soil, 357:245-257.
Elad, Y., Cytryn, E., Meller Harel, Y. Lew, B., Graber, E.R. (2011) The Biochar Effect: Plant
resistance to biotic stresses. (invited review) Phytopathologia Mediterranea, 50(3): 335349.
Graber, E.R., Tsechansky, L., Gerstl, Z., Lew, B. (2011) High surface area biochar
negatively impacts herbicide efficacy. Plant and Soil, 353:95-106.
Graber, E.R., Tsechansky, L., Khanukov, J., Oka, Y. (2011) Sorption, volatilization and
efficacy of the fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene in a biochar-amended soil. Soil Science
Society of America Journal. 75(4) 1365-1373.
Kolton, M., Meller Harel, Y., Pasternak, Z., Graber, E.R., Elad, Y. Cytryn, E. (2011) Impact
of biochar application to soil on the root-associated bacterial community structure of fully
developed greenhouse pepper plants. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 77: 4924 4930.
Kurtzman, D., Netzer, L., Weisbrod, N., Graber, E.R., Ronen, D. (2011) Steady-state
homogeneous approximations of vertical velocity from EC profiles, Ground Water 49: 275279.
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10. Graber, E.R. and Gerstl, Z. (2011) Organic micro-contaminant behavior in the soil-plant
continuum as a result of irrigation with treated wastewater. Israel J. Plant Sciences 59(2-4):
105-114.
11. Silber, A., Levkovitch, I., Graber, E. R. (2010) pH-Dependent Mineral Release and Surface
Properties of Cornstraw Biochar: Agronomic Implications. Environmental Science &
Technology 44: 9318-9323.
12. Graber, E.R., Meller Harel, Y., Kolton, M., Cytryn, E., Silber, A., Rav David, D.,
Tsechansky, L., Borenshtein, M., Elad, Y. (2010) Biochar impact on development and
productivity of pepper and tomato grown in fertigated soilless media. Plant and Soil 337,
481-496.
13. Netzer, L., Weisbrod, N., Kurtzman, D., Nasser, A., Graber, E.R., and Ronen, D. (2010)
Observations on vertical variability in groundwater quality: implications for aquifer
management. Water Resources Management DOI:10.1007/S11269-010-9746-1.
14. Ronen, D., Lev-Weiner, H., Graber, E.R., Dahan, O., Weisbrod, N. (2010) Simultaneous
counterflow of chlorinated volatile organic compounds across the saturated-unsaturated
interface region of an aquifer, Water Research, 44(7): 2107-2112.
15. Elad, Y., Rav David, D., Meller Harel, Y., Borenshtein, M. , Kalifa Hananel, B., Silber, A.,
and Graber, E.R. (2010) Induction of systemic resistance in plants by biochar, a soilapplied carbon sequestering agent. Phytopathology 100, 913-921.
16. Gerstl, Z., Graber, E.R. (2010). Impact of irrigation with treated wastewater on pesticides
and other organic microcontaminants in soils. In: Use of treated sewage water in
agriculture: Impacts on crop and soil environment. (G.J. Levy, P. Fine, A. Bar-Tal, eds.).
Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK
17. Graber, E.R. and Hadas, E. (2009). Potential Energy Generation and Carbon Savings from
Waste Biomass Pyrolysis in Israel. Annuals of Environmental Science, v. 3: 207-216.
18. Graber, E.R. and Hadas E. (Dec. 2009) Pyrolysis of Biomass Wastes for Energy
Production, Soil Improvement, and Carbon Sequestration, Nir VeTelem (in Hebrew).
19. Graber, E.R. and Tsechansky, L. (2009) Rapid one-step method for total fatty acids in soils
and sediments. Soil Science of America Journal, v. 74: 42-50
20. Graber, E.R. (2009) Biochar for 21st century challenges: Carbon sink, energy source and
soil conditioner. Conference Proceedings, International Dalia Gredinger Conference, Haifa,
May 2009.
21. Taranyiuk, I., Rudich, Y., Graber, E.R. (2009). Hydration-Influenced Sorption of Organic
Compounds by Model and Atmospheric Humic-Like Substances (HULIS). Environmental
Science & Technology, 43(6): 1811–1817.
22. Graber, E.R., Tagger, S. Wallach, R. (2009). Role of divalent fatty acid salts in soil water
repellency. Soil Science of America Journal, 73: 541-549
23. Moonshine, M., Rudich, Y., Katsman, S., Graber, E.R. (2008). Atmospheric HULIS
enhance pollutant degradation by promoting the Dark Fenton Reaction. Geophysical
Research Letters, 35, L20807, doi:10.1029/2008GL035285; v. 16(8):1615-1624.
24. Graber, E.R., Laor, Y., Ronen, D. (2008). Megasite Aquifer Contamination by ChlorinatedVOCs: A Case Study from an Urban Metropolis Overlying the Coastal Plain Aquifer of
Israel. Hydrogeology Journal, v. 16(8): 1615-1624.
25. Sorek, A., Atzmon, Nir; Dahan, O.; Gerstl, Zev; Kushisin, L.; Laor, Y., Mingelgrin, U.,
Nasser, A., Ronen, D., Tsechansky, L., Weisbrod, N., Graber, E.R. (2008).
‘Phytoscreening’: The Use of Trees for Discovering Subsurface Contamination by VOCs.
Environmental Science & Technology, 42:536-542.
26. Graber, E.R., Sorek, A., Tsechansky, L. and Atzmon, N. (2007). Competitive Uptake of
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Trichloroethene and 1,1,1-Trichloroethane by Eucalyptus Camaldulensis Seedlings and
Wood. Environmental Science & Technology, 41, 6704-6710.
Taranyiuk, I., Graber, E.R., Kostinski, A., Rudich, Y. (2007). Surfactant properties of
atmospheric and model humic-like substances (HULIS). Geophysical Research Letters,
34(16), Art No L16807.
Graber, E.R. Tagger, S. Wallach, R. (2007). Do surface active substances from water
repellent soils aid wetting? European Journal of Soil Sciences, 58:1393-1399.
Graber, E.R. Tsechansky, L. and Borisover, M. (2007). Hydration-Assisted Sorption of a
Probe Organic Compound at Different Peat Hydration Levels: The Link Solvation Model.
Environmental Science & Technology 41: 547-554.
Dinar, E., Taraniuk, I., Graber, E.R., T., Anttila, T., Mentel, Th.F., Rudich, Y. (2007).
Hygroscopic growth of model and atmospheric humic like substances (HULIS). Journal of
Geophysical Research, 112, D05211, doi:10.1029/2006JD007442.
Wallach, R., Graber, E.R. (2007). Infiltration into effluent irrigation-induced repellent soils
and the dependence of repellency on ambient relative humidity. Hydrological Processes.
21:2346-2355.
Dinar, E., Taraniuk, I., Graber, E.R., Katsman, S., Moise, T., Anttila, T., Mentel, Th.F.,
Rudich, Y. (2006). Cloud Condensation Nuclei Properties of Atmospheric and Model
HULIS. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 6: 2465-2481.
Graber, E.R., Rudich, Y. (2006). Atmospheric HULIS: How Humic-Like Are They? A
Comprehensive and Critical Review. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 6: 729-753.
Graber, E.R., Ben-Arie, O., Wallach, R. (2006) Effect of Sample Disturbance on Soil Water
Repellency Determination in Sandy Soils. Geoderma 136 (1-2): 11-19.
Graber, E.R., Fine, P., Levy, G. (2006) Soil Stabilization in Semi-Arid and Arid Land
Agriculture ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering v. 18 (2): 190-205.
Wallach, R., Ben-Arie, O., Graber, E.R. (2005) Soil water repellency induced by long-term
irrigation with treated sewage effluent. Journal of Environmental Quality, v. 34: 1910-1920.
Graber, E.R. and Borisover, M. (2005) Exploring Organic Compound Interactions with
Organic Matter: The Thermodynamic Cycle Approach Colloids and Surfaces A:
Physicochem. Eng. Aspects, v. 265 (1-3): 11-22.
Laskin, A., Iedema, M.J., Ichkovich, A., Taraniuk, I., Graber, E.R., and Rudich, Y. (2005)
Direct observation of completely processed calcium carbonate dust particles Faraday
Discussions, v. 130, 453 - 468.
Falkovich A.H., Graber E.R., Schkolnik G., Rudich Y. Maenhaut W., Artaxo P. (2005) Low
molecular weight organic acids in aerosol particles from Rondônia, Brazil, during the
burning, transition and wet seasons. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics v. 5, 781-797.
Ronen, D., Laor, Y., and Graber, E.R. (May 2005) Volatile Organic Compounds in the
Saturated-Unsaturated Interface Region (SUIR) of a Contaminated Phreatic Aquifer.
Vadose Zone Journal 4 (2): 337-344.
Graber, E.R. and Borisover, M. (2004) Effect of hydration/solvation of organic matter on
sorption of organic compounds: Conception and sorption isotherm model. In: Humic
Substances: Nature’s Most Versatile Materials. (E.A. Ghabbour and G. Davies, eds). Taylor
and Francis, Inc.: New York.
Borisover, M. and Graber. E.R. (2004) Hydration of natural organic matter (NOM): Effect on
sorption of organic compounds by NOM fractions vs NOM source material. Environmental
Science and Technology v. 38, 4120-4129.
Graber, E.R. and Borisover, M. (2003) Competitive sorption of organic contaminants in
chalk. Contaminant Hydrology v. 67 (1-4), 159-175.
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44. Laor, Y., Ronen, D., Graber, E.R. (2003) Using a Passive Multi-layer Sampler (MLS) for
Measuring Detailed Profiles of Gas-Phase VOCs in the Unsaturated Zone. Environmental
Science and Technology 37(2), 352-360.
45. Borisover, M. and Graber. E.R. (2003) Classifying NOM-organic sorbate interactions using
compound transfer from an inert solvent to the hydrated sorbent. Environmental Science
and Technology v. 37 (24), 5657-5664.
46. Borisover, M. and Graber. E.R. (2002). Relationship between strength of organic sorbate
interactions in NOM and hydration effect on sorption. Environmental Science and
Technology 36: 4570-4577.
47. Borisover, M. and Graber. E.R. (2002). Thermodynamics of Organic Compound Transfer
from the Gas Phase to Environmentally Important Sorbents. Israel Journal of Chemistry 42:
77-87.
48. Borisover, M. and Graber. E.R. (2002). Simplified Link Solvation Model (LSM) for Sorption
in Natural Organic Matter. Langmuir 18: 4775-4782.
49. Wefer-Roehl, A., Graber, E.R., Adar, E., Yakirevich, A., and Ronen, Z. (2002). Retardation
of organic contaminants in natural fractures in chalk. Ground Water 40: 291-302.
50. Borisover, M., Reddy, M., and Graber, E.R. (2001). Solvation effect on organic compound
interactions in soil organic matter. Environmental Science and Technology 35: 2518-2524.
51. Graber, E.R., Dror, I., Bercovich, F., and Rosner, M. (2001). Sewage sludge amendment
and pesticide transport in a field trial. Chemosphere 44: 805-811.
52. Wefer-Roehl, A., Graber, E.R., Adar, E., Nativ, R., Borisover, M.D., and Ronen, Z. (2001).
Sorption of organic contaminants in a fractured chalk formation. Chemosphere 44: 11211131.
53. Borisover, M., Graber, E.R., Bercovich, F., and Gerstl, Z. (2001). Suitability of dye-clay
complexes for removal of non-ionic organic compounds from aqueous solutions.
Chemosphere 44: 1033-1040.
54. Graber, E.R. and Borisover, M. (1999). Response to Comments from Weber and Huang on
“Evaluation of the glassy/rubbery model for soil organic matter”. Environmental Science
and Technology 33: 2831-32.
55. Borisover, M.D and Graber, E.R. (1999). Response to Comments from Pignatello and Xing
on “Evaluation of the glassy/rubbery model for soil organic matter”. Environmental Science
and Technology 33: 2839-40.
56. Borisover, M.D and Graber, E.R. (1999). Response to Comments from LeBoeuf on
“Evaluation of the glassy/rubbery model for soil organic matter”. Environmental Science
and Technology 33: 2835-36.
57. Sluszny, C.; Graber, E.R.; Gerstl, Z. (1999). Sorption of s-triazine herbicides in organic
matter amended soils: fresh and incubated systems. Water, Air and Soil Pollution 115: 395410.
58. Borisover, M.D. and Graber, E.R. (1998). Organic compound sorption enthalpy and
sorption mechanisms in soil organic matter. Journal of Environmental Quality 27: 312-317.
59. Graber, E.R. and Borisover, M.D. (1998). Hydration-facilitated sorption of specifically
interacting organic compounds by model soil organic matter. Environmental Science and
Technology 32: 258-263.
60. Graber, E.R. and Borisover, M.D. (1998). Evaluation of the glassy/rubbery model for soil
organic matter. Environmental Science and Technology 32: 3286-3292.
61. Graber, E.R. and Mingelgrin, U. (1998). Shrinkage and swelling of clays in organic fluids
and permeability effects. In: Soil and Aquifer Pollution, Ch.4. (H. Rubin, N. Narkis, and J.
Carberry, eds.); Springer-Verlag Publishers, 59-78.
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62. Yaron, B., Dror, Y., Graber, E.R., Gerstl, Z., Fine, P., Jarsjo, J. (1998). Behavior of volatile
organic liquid mixtures in the soil environment. In: Soil and Aquifer Pollution, Ch. 3. (H.
Rubin, N. Narkis, and J. Carberry, eds.); Springer-Verlag Publishers, pp. 37-58.
63. Fine, P., Graber, E.R., and Yaron, B. (1997). Soil interactions with petroleum hydrocarbons:
Abiotic processes. Soil Technology 10: 133-153.
64. Borisover, M. and Graber, E.R. (1997). Specific interactions of nonionic organic compounds
with soil organic carbon. Chemosphere 34: 1761-1776.
65. Gerstl, Z, Ayulaf, A., Sluszny, C., and Graber, E.R. (1997). The transport of terbuthylazine
in soil microcosms. Science of the Total Environment 196: 119-129.
66. Borisover, M. and Graber, E.R. (1997). Comment on “Competitive Sorption Between
Atrazine and Other Organic Compounds in Soils and Model Sorbents” Environmental
Science and Technology 31: 1577.
67. Graber, E.R., Sluszny, C., and Gerstl, Z. (1997). The influence of sludge amendment on
transport and sorption ideality of s-triazines in soil columns. Environmental Toxicology and
Chemistry 16: 2463-2469.
68. Graber, E.R. (1996). Isotopic composition of diagenetic carbonate concretions at the
Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary in south-central Texas, USA: Implications of their growth.
Carbonates and Evaporites 11: 59-69.
69. Graber, E.R., Gerstl, Z., Fischer, E., and Mingelgrin, U. (1995). Enhanced transport of
atrazine under irrigation with effluent. Soil Science Society of America Journal 59: 15131519.
70. Graber, E.R. and Mingelgrin, U. (1994). Clay Swelling and Regular Solution Theory.
Evironmental Science and Technology 28: 2360-2365.
71. Folk, R.L., Tiezzi, P.A., Pursell, V.J., Graber, E.R., Greenburg, J.G., and Miller, J (1993).
Overturned geopetal structures formed by solution of sulfates, Triassic (Rhaetian) Portoro
Limestone, Portovenere area (La Spezia), Liguria, Italy. Carbonates and Evaporites 8: 3949.
72. Aharon, P., Graber, E.R. and Roberts, H.H. (1992). Dissolved carbon and 13C anomalies
in the water column caused by hydrocarbon seeps on the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico
Slope. Geomarine Letters 12: 33-40.
73. Graber, E.R. and P. Aharon (1991) An improved microextraction technique for measuring
dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), 13CDIC, and 18OH2O from milliliter-size water samples.
Chemical Geology (Isotope Geoscience Section) 94: 137-144.
74. Aharon, P., Graber, E.R. and Roberts, H.H. (1991). Detection of hydrocarbon venting on
the Gulf of Mexico sea floor from determinations of dissolved inorganic carbon and 13C of
the water column overlying seeps. Trans. Gulf Coast Assoc. of Geo. Sci. 41: 24-30.
75. Graber, E.R. and K.C. Lohmann (1989). Basinal marine dolomicrite from the
Pennsylvanian/Wolfcampian Horquilla Formation, New Mexico. J. Sed. Petrology 59: 1-13.
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