Bacteria-monitoring method established for wastewater treatment

Researchers from the Bindley Bioscience Center in Purdue's Discovery Park have devised a new system which monitors the progress of the bacteria needed to treat wastewater, it has emerged.

The method uses sensors to monitor the progress of the bacteria and researchers have concluded that copper is integral to its balance and wellbeing.

Contrary to current methods, the sensors can register even the slightest imbalance immediately, meaning that any toxins which may be in danger of contaminating water supplies could be detected and therefore prevented faster.

Associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering Marshall Porterfield stated: "It's important to monitor intact living specimens to obtain accurate data and our approach is both non-invasive and a real-time technique."

Last September, Chinese associate professor of civil and environmental engineering Wei-Zhang, who is involved in one of the largest-scale wastewater treatment projects ever conducted, spoke out about its progress, reported The Brown and White.com.