BES for treating of wastewater and monitoring of effluent quality

The unprecedented population growth in the cities of developing countries has put immense pressure on the existing wastewater treatment infrastructure. As a result, large quantities of untreated and partially treated wastewater flows in open storm drains. These flows have led to the contamination of surface water bodies. The recent incidents of large-scale fish kills, foam formation and fire in Bangalore lakes have put immense pressure on the policymakers to address the issue of wastewater flows into water bodies. This critical issue requires solutions that would address both monitoring & treatment of water before it finds its way into the waterbody. Through the integration of bio-electrochemical systems (BESs) and green water treatment systems, we propose to address both challenges. The core idea is to use the local fauna to treat wastewater and generate electricity which would provide power to the real-time water quality monitoring systems. This project will integrate multiple disciplines such as biology, electrochemistry, engineering, urban planning, social science and education to address the water quality issues in Bangalore city.

Collaborators: 

University of Cambridge- Paolo Bombelli- https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/howe/members/paolo-bombello-postdoctoral-researcher-1