{"id":174419,"date":"2026-03-13T07:23:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T06:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=174419"},"modified":"2026-03-09T16:26:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T15:26:55","slug":"how-microbe-powered-tech-cleans-and-recovers-value-from-wastewater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/how-microbe-powered-tech-cleans-and-recovers-value-from-wastewater\/","title":{"rendered":"How microbe-powered tech cleans and recovers value from wastewater"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<p>The world generates about 359 billion m\u00b3 of wastewater each year, yet only ~52% is treated. Treatment is also energy-hungry\u2014a growing issue as more places expand sanitation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In their&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/science\/articles\/10.3389\/fsci.2026.1688727\/full\">Frontiers in Science<\/a>&nbsp;article, Schr\u00f6der et al. review microbial electrochemical technologies (METs)\u2014where microbes help clean water while producing electricity or fuels and reclaiming valuable nutrients. They summarize what\u2019s proven, what pilots show, and the key hurdles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This explainer summarizes the article\u2019s main points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"BorlabsCookie _brlbs-cb-youtube\"><div class=\"_brlbs-content-blocker\"> <div class=\"_brlbs-embed _brlbs-video-youtube\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"_brlbs-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/borlabs-cookie\/assets\/images\/cb-no-thumbnail.png\" alt=\"YouTube\"> <div class=\"_brlbs-caption\"> <p>By loading the video, you agree to YouTube&#8217;s privacy policy.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/privacy?hl=en&amp;gl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Learn more<\/a><\/p> <p><a class=\"_brlbs-btn _brlbs-icon-play-white\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-unblock role=\"button\">Load video<\/a><\/p> <p><label><input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"unblockAll\" value=\"1\" checked> <small>Always unblock YouTube<\/small><\/label><\/p> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><div class=\"borlabs-hide\" data-borlabs-cookie-type=\"content-blocker\" data-borlabs-cookie-id=\"youtube\"><script type=\"text\/template\">PGlmcmFtZSB0aXRsZT0iQ2lyY3VsYXIgd2FzdGV3YXRlciB0cmVhdG1lbnQgc29sdXRpb25zIHwgRnJvbnRpZXJzIGluIFNjaWVuY2UiIHdpZHRoPSI1MDAiIGhlaWdodD0iMjgxIiBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUtbm9jb29raWUuY29tL2VtYmVkL2FVcXdvbE9TTmcwP2ZlYXR1cmU9b2VtYmVkIiBmcmFtZWJvcmRlcj0iMCIgYWxsb3c9ImFjY2VsZXJvbWV0ZXI7IGF1dG9wbGF5OyBjbGlwYm9hcmQtd3JpdGU7IGVuY3J5cHRlZC1tZWRpYTsgZ3lyb3Njb3BlOyBwaWN0dXJlLWluLXBpY3R1cmU7IHdlYi1zaGFyZSIgcmVmZXJyZXJwb2xpY3k9InN0cmljdC1vcmlnaW4td2hlbi1jcm9zcy1vcmlnaW4iIGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbj48L2lmcmFtZT4=<\/script><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is wastewater?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Wastewater is water that has been used and now carries substances we don\u2019t want in the environment\u2014mainly organic matter and nutrients, plus other contaminants. It refers to everyday sewage (toilets, showers, laundry), used industrial and commercial water (rinsing, cooling, cleaning), and food-related streams (kitchens, restaurants, food processing).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Treatment removes these substances to prevent pollution and protect drinking water sources.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much resource is in wastewater?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Wastewater contains three main resource pools:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>energy:<\/strong>\u00a0the organic matter in global wastewater holds over 800,000 GWh of energy each year<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>fertilizer nutrients:<\/strong>\u00a0around 14 million tons of nitrogen and about 3 million tons of phosphorus annually\u2014equivalent to roughly 10\u201311% of global ammonia demand and around 7% of phosphate demand<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>water:\u00a0<\/strong>after treatment, wastewater becomes clean water for irrigation, construction, industrial cooling, landscaping, and groundwater recharge\u2014With further treatment it can become potable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These resources are currently removed or discarded separately, often at high energy cost.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are microbial electrochemical technologies (METs)?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Reclaiming these lost resources from wastewater can support cleaner water with lower net energy demand than current approaches.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors discuss how METs\u2014devices where special &#8220;electrogenic\u201d bacteria move electrons to electrodes as they digest waste\u2014can help us achieve this.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors review two key types of MET:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>microbial fuel cells (MFCs):<\/strong>\u00a0these use electroactive microbes to oxidize organic matter at an anode and produce a small electrical current while the water is treated<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>microbial electrolysis cells (MECs):<\/strong>\u00a0these add some voltage so the cathode makes hydrogen (or sometimes methane) during treatment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What have pilot studies shown outside the lab?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pilot projects show that METs can treat varying amounts of real wastewater. These range from tens of liters up to full-scale constructed wetlands, generally removing a substantial share of organics and nutrients.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Schr\u00f6der et al. classify the following examples using technology readiness levels (TRLs)\u2014a standard scale for how close a technology is to real-world use, from 1 (least ready) to 9 (most ready):&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>constructed wetlands with MET media (METland\u00ae)\u00a0<\/strong>in Europe that clean municipal and industrial wastewater (TRL 7\u20138)\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>MFC-based biosensors<\/strong>\u00a0that monitor treatment performance and toxicity. Commercial systems use pre-loaded electrodes to give continuous signals linked to biological activity (TRL 6-9)\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>modular MFC units for very concentrated industrial wastewater<\/strong>, which treat swine and beverage wastewaters continuously for months, removing organic pollution and generating some electricity (TRL 5-7)\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>urine-focused MET stacks (Pee Power\u00ae and ammonia recovery)<\/strong>\u00a0that have powered toilet lighting at the UK\u2019s Glastonbury Festival and in field trials in Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa. Scaled-up MECs have also recovered ammonia and phosphorus from source-separated urine (TRL 5-6)\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>MFCs for municipal wastewater<\/strong>\u2014reactors of about 255\u2013850 L that run for a year or more on real sewage. These operate reliably to remove a substantial amount of organic pollution, but produce far less electricity than equivalent lab systems (TRL 5-6)\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>MECs for hydrogen and final treatment<\/strong>\u2014reactors of about 100\u20131,000 L at treatment plants and industrial sites such as winery and hydrothermal liquefaction wastewaters. They combine the removal of organics and nitrogen with hydrogen recovery, but costs and long-term electrode performance limit their wider use (TRL 5-6)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where do METs fit into existing infrastructure?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In these scenarios, METs are added as extra steps in existing plants rather than replacing whole works. They are placed where wastewater is still relatively concentrated\u2014early in the process or on side-streams from sludge handling and anaerobic digestion. This means they can recover organics and nutrients and reduce the load on later, more energy-intensive stages.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some systems are built directly into existing units (for example, into beds, tanks, or filters) so they can provide both treatment and recovery in the same footprint. Related bioelectrochemical systems can also be used purely as sensors, sitting in pipes or tanks and sending continuous performance markers, without changing the main processes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images-provider.frontiersin.org\/api\/ipx\/w=912&amp;f=jpg\/https:\/\/brand.frontiersin.org\/asset\/40ff97a7-4ee7-40c2-af53-2a48e255fee1\/WebsiteWebP_XL\/FSCI_Hub_Schroder_Microbial_electrochemical_systems_explainer_card_landscape.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:647px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the current limits, and how can they be overcome?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite their potential, these technologies face challenges to widespread adoption. Schr\u00f6der et al. report that METs struggle with performance, robustness, and cost once they leave the lab. When METs are scaled up to treat real wastewater, power and product yields fall; it is harder to keep microbes, electrodes, and water close together; and electrodes and separators can clog or foul.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Designing systems that can cope with changing flows and need little maintenance is still more expensive than conventional equipment, so METs are rarely chosen as core treatment steps.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They also point to institutional barriers. Utilities companies and regulators focus on meeting discharge limits at the lowest cost, while energy, hydrogen, or fertilizer recovered from wastewater often has uncertain value or legal status.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors highlight that progress will depend on cheaper, longer-lived materials, more standardized modules, and long-term pilots in real plants\u2014especially for niche and decentralized uses.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They argue that this will need to be combined with policies and business models that reward resource recovery alongside pollution control.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The world generates about 359 billion m\u00b3 of wastewater each year, yet only ~52% is treated. Treatment is also energy-hungry\u2014a growing issue as more places expand sanitation.&nbsp; In their&nbsp;Frontiers in Science&nbsp;article, Schr\u00f6der et al. review microbial electrochemical technologies (METs)\u2014where microbes help clean water while producing electricity or fuels and reclaiming valuable nutrients. They summarize what\u2019s [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":174462,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"The Schr\u00f6der's team from the University of Greifswald reviewed microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) in a Frontiers in Science\u00a0article, where microbes help clean water while producing electricity or fuels and reclaiming valuable nutrients","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572,17143],"tags":[10416,13911,12615,14183,25974],"supplier":[27638,1021],"class_list":["post-174419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bio-based","category-recycling","tag-circulareconomy","tag-electricity","tag-microbes","tag-nutrients","tag-wastewatertreatment","supplier-frontiers-in-science","supplier-universitaet-greifswald"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174419"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=174419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}