C&EN, the weekly newsletter of the American Chemical Society, recently published an article detailing a proposed method of treating wastewater by using yeast-filled fibers.
The particular aim of the study was to find a better way to treat the wastewater remaining after the production of olive oil.
With a large portion of that oil being produced in the arid regions around the Mediterranean and Middle East, any improvement in water methods could have a profound impact.
Terry Hazen, the joint UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair for Environmental Biotechnology, spoke to the magazine about one of the concerns with the process.
When compared to current microbial water treatments, Hazen noted “it’s interesting, and it may be novel, but I’m not sure it’s going to be able to compete commercially.”
The full article can be found here