All Wastewater & Sanitation articles
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NewsStudy: China reverses widespread freshwater deoxygenation via wastewater management
Freshwater ecosystems worldwide have been suffering from declining oxygen levels that threatens biodiversity, fisheries, and ecosystem stability. However, a new study offers hope: targeted nutrient management via wastewater control can reverse this trajectory, even in the face of rapid climate warming.
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NewsGlobal port microbiomes reveal hidden biosecurity signals
By analyzing more than 16 million 16S rRNA gene sequences from 1,045 port water samples collected in 23 cities across five continents, a study has found clear biogeographic patterns, a core set of dominant bacterial genera, and widespread potential pathogens.
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NewsThree interlinked factors are needed to sustainably grow microbes for MICP
A new review investigates cost-effective and greener ways to grow microorganisms for use in Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP), a microbial process that precipitates calcium carbonate, and identifies three interlinked factors that determine success or failure.
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NewsMicrobes frozen in ancient rubbish heaps help reconstruct ancient Greenlanders’ farms, seal hunts, and toilets
The microbiome of ancient middens in Greenland sheds new light on the daily life of Paleo-Inuit and old Norse communities. Researchers say the middens in the cold Arctic acted like long-term natural experiments, with human- and animal-associated bacterial signals remaining detectable many centuries later.
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NewsRNA barcoding approach reveals previously unknown virus-host relationships
Researchers have uncovered previously unknown relationships between bacteriophages and their bacterial hosts. They found a previously unreported group of bacterial hosts for the well-studied bacteriophage P1 and examine how subtle changes in viral structure influence which microbes a phage can target.
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NewsRice husk biochar catalyst breaks down antibiotic pollutant in minutes
A new biochar supported cobalt oxide catalyst rapidly removes levofloxacin from water while revealing a key reaction mechanism for cleaner wastewater treatment.
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NewsWastewater analysis offers a new way to monitor HIV in communities
Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) detection in wastewater offers a novel approach to monitor the virus in communities. Hybrid-capture genetic sequencing allows researchers to analyze viral genomes in detail and specifically identify viral signals coming from community wastewater.
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NewsBacteria organise themselves into diverse, coordinated communities in order to travel across large distances
A new study examined the migration of microbial communities over long distances, and found bacteria migrate not as solitary swimmers, but in diverse, coordinated communities that also contain viruses and “hitchhiking” microbes that cannot swim on their own.
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NewsWhy plastic lingers: Water chemistry slows nature’s cleanup
In a new study designed to mimic real environmental conditions, researchers found that the chemical makeup of natural waters significantly delays the breakdown of polystyrene, a common plastic used in packaging and food containers. Because sunlight cannot effectively initiate the degradation process, microbes cannot finish the job.
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NewsAntibiotics drive resistance in waterways - even after they break down
Antibiotics continue to drive resistance to bacteria, even after they are broken down in wastewater treatment plants and discharged into rivers and seas, new research published on World Oceans Day has shown for the first time.
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NewsDrug-resistant bacteria found in homes from sewage overflow
A new study shows that sewage overflows in homes can expose people to bacteria that can make them sick, including antibiotic-resistant and multidrug resistant bacteria which can make infections difficult to treat.
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NewsScientists turn microalgae waste into high-performance membranes for cleaner municipal wastewater
A new study reports a sustainable membrane technology that converts microalgae-derived biochar into an advanced material for municipal wastewater treatment, offering a promising route to cleaner water and waste valorization.
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NewsNew study finds neighborhood-level sampling could close equity gap in wastewater disease surveillance
Researchers working with New York State’s wastewater surveillance network found that while the system does a reasonably fair job of including vulnerable populations, it struggles in larger populations when an outbreak is starting, which is when it matters most.
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NewsHospital wastewater reveals drug-resistant fungus strains months before patients show symptoms
A study reveals that sampling raw wastewater closer to the source — sewer lines that directly serve hospitals, retirement homes, and long-term care facilities — allows scientists to detect drug-resistant strains of Candida auris as many as five months before patients begin showing symptoms.
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NewsNew ‘permanently wet’ coating method could transform wastewater treatment by helping bacteria survive better
Living bacteria embedded in coatings could clean wastewater, capture carbon and generate biofuels – if they survive the manufacturing process. Researchers have developed a method that keeps bacteria submerged throughout coating formation, increasing the number of surviving cells by around 500 times compared to conventional approaches.
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NewsStudy is first to detect and track multiple cancer-causing viruses in wastewater
A study is the first comprehensive approach to detect all known cancer-causing or oncogenic viruses concurrently by analyzing viral genomes in wastewater. The work shows that it is feasible to monitor the presence and levels of cancer-causing viruses, enabling the possibility of public health interventions in the future.
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NewsMeasuring SARS-CoV-2 diversity in wastewater improves disease surveillance
Tracking the genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, rather than just viral abundance, dramatically improves the ability to monitor and predict COVID-19 outbreaks, researchers report.
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NewsSunlight and PVC pipes create a hidden driver of antibiotic resistance
New research shows that chemicals leaching from everyday PVC—especially after exposure to sunlight—can dramatically speed up the spread of resistance genes between bacteria. The effect was strongest at low to moderate concentrations, where the leachate triggered bacterial stress responses without killing the microbes.
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NewsFlu signals in wastewater offer an early warning for community outbreaks
A research team has demonstrated that measuring influenza viral RNA in wastewater can be used to estimate community influenza incidence. The approach may help identify outbreak trends about one week earlier than publicly available patient report data.
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NewsNew health security operations center will monitor infectious disease risks during this summer’s World Cup gatherings
With millions of soccer fans set to descend on North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, experts from Georgetown University and MedStar Health have launched a pioneering Health Security Operations Center (HSOC) to monitor infectious disease transmission and mitigate global health risks.