It has long been understood that microorganisms play a key role in the treatment of wastewater, but what is less well known is how the process is affected by the diversity of such populations of bacteria and microbes.
CEE Associate Professor Qiang He is working with a team of experts from around the world to help solve that riddle by analyzing the global patterns of these microorganisms.
Using a systematic sampling system to evaluate 1,200 activated sludge (or aerated sewage) samples from 269 waste water treatment plants in 23 countries on 6 continents, the team seeks to better understand microorganism diversity and factors controlling it.
Read the full story at cee.utk.edu.
Élan Young 