Desalination at scale
Who
Sidney Loeb, an American Jewish engineer who co-invented the practical reverse-osmosis membrane and later moved to Israel, a world leader in large-scale desalination.
When
1959 (membrane); 2000s–present (Israeli plants)
Where
UCLA, USA / Israel
Reverse-osmosis desalination now supplies much of Israel's drinking water and is used worldwide to turn seawater fresh. The practical membrane that made it possible was co-invented in 1959 by Sidney Loeb, a Jewish American engineer who later emigrated to Israel and helped build its desalination expertise, now expressed in giant plants like Sorek.
Sources
Part of “The Gifts of the Jews” — verified Jewish contributions to the world, with sources.