In small towns across China, wastewater treatment plants are having a tough time. These plants use special ponds called ecological combination ponds (ECPs) to clean water. But when the water coming in changes a lot, it's hard to adjust the settings. This leads to too much air being pumped in and too many chemicals being used. The goal is to remove nitrogen from the w...

You know how sometimes wastewater has too much nitrogen but not enough oxygen-demanding stuff? That's a problem! One way we deal with this is using biological contact oxidation reactors (BCOR). These reactors use certain microorganisms to help remove the nitrogen. In this story, scientists found that a group called Acidobacteria can really help with this job. They st...

Ever wondered how we can make sewage treatment more effective? Scientists have discovered that using tiny ceramic powder carriers in a special treatment bed can really make a difference. They tested this method on simulated sewage overflows, and the results were impressive. The ceramic powders, smaller than a grain of sand, helped the treatment system meet strict pol...