A University of Oklahoma-led interdisciplinary global study expands the understanding of activated sludge microbiomes for next-generation wastewater treatment and reuse systems enhanced by microbiome engineering.
A University of Oklahoma-led interdisciplinary global study expands the understanding of activated sludge microbiomes for next-generation wastewater treatment and reuse systems enhanced by microbiome engineering. Wastewater treatment and reuse are critical to global health and sustaining a world population predicted to reach 10 billion by 2050.
“In May 2014, we established a Global Water Microbiome Consortium (http://gwmc.ou.edu) as a way to promote international collaboration and communication on global research and education for water microbiome,” said Jizhong Zhou, OU director, Institute for Environmental Genomics; George Lynn Cross Research Professor, OU College of Arts and Sciences; adjunct professor, Gallogly College of Engineering; adjunct senior scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and adjunct professor, Tsinghua University.
“Different from several other global initiatives using a bottom-up approach to solicit microbial samples, the consortium used top-down sampling strategy to target the microbiomes of activated sludge processes in municipal wastewater treatment plants that represent a vital element of the infrastructure for modern urban societies. The campaign involved 111 investigators who sampled 269 wastewater treatment plants in 86 cities in 23 countries on six continents,” said Zhou.
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Image Credit: University of Oklahoma
