Researchers from NUS have developed a new way to treat sewage that is much simpler, cheaper and greener than existing methods.
Led by Associate Professor He Jianzhong from NUS Civil and Environmental Engineering, the NUS team found a new strain of bacterium called Thauera sp. strain SND5 that can remove both nitrogen and phosphorus from sewage.
This discovery, which was first reported in the journal Water Research on 15 October 2020, significantly reduces the high operational costs and emission of greenhouse gases associated with traditional wastewater treatment methods.
The team’s new treatment method is also in the running for the International Water Association Project Innovation Awards 2021.
Read more at: National University of Singapore
The team led by Associate Professor He Jianzhong (left) and Research Fellow Dr Wang Qingkun (right) discovered Thauera sp. strain SND5 after they isolated and tested various strains of bacteria from wastewater samples. Dr Wang holding a wastewater sample containing the unique SND5 bacterium. (Photo Credit: National University of Singapore)