Recently Discovered Bacterium Holds Promise for Improved Wastewater Treatment

The recent discovery of the comammox bacterium might prove pivotal in a new and improved approach to wastewater purification that will be more efficient, according to research carried out by Pieter Blom. Blom received his Ph.D. on the subject from Radboud University in April. Water treatment facilities remove nitrogen, among other substances, from wastewater before releasing it back into the environment. “The current process is far from ideal,” says Blom. “Specific bacteria convert nitrogen into nitrate, but these bacteria require a lot of oxygen, which in turn requires a great deal of energy. Other bacteria species then convert the nitrate back