Next Generation Tools for Assessing Death and Decay of Critical Wastewater Bacteria

The goal of this research was to improve our understanding of decay processes in wastewater treatment through a combination of traditional microbiological and molecular approaches and modeling. This research developed and compared protocols using next generation biomolecular tools against standard protocols and methods to measure inactivation and decay kinetics of pathogens, pathogen indicators, and nitrifying wastewater bacteria. The researchers sought to support more precise design and quality control of effluent from biological processes used in wastewater treatment, including nitrifying activated sludge, advanced nutrient removal, and solids treatment such as pasteurization, mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion, and biosolids storage and land application. Published by WERF. 180 pages. Online PDF. (2016)

Originally funded as WERF project U1R12.