Safer drinking water

Tapping into Nature's microbial potential to provide clean water

Though most of the Earth is covered with water, very little is safe to drink. According to the World Health Organization, 2 billion people live in unsanitary conditions and do not have access to clean water.

Now, the Biodesign Institute has begun to tap the potential that is already provided by nature to provide clean water by developing new ways to use microbial communities for important tasks like detoxifying contaminated water, wastewater, sludge, sediment or soil; capturing renewable energy from biomass; sensing contaminants or pathogens; and protecting the public from dangerous exposure to pathogens.

One example of a new biotechnology used to treat the worldwide problem of low quality water is the hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR), an environmental biotechnology that our research team from the Center for Environmental Biotechnology has taken from fundamental research through commercialization activity.

Our researchers are employing leading-edge research tools – including molecular microbial ecology and modeling – so that we can develop a fundamental understanding of microbial communities and think like the microorganisms.

We apply modern materials – including membranes and nanomaterials – and good engineering strategies to create systems that work for the microorganisms so that they work for us. We partner with private and public companies, individual investors and the public sector to commercialize our technologies and get them into the marketplace.

This breadth of activities at the institute and its use-inspired focus are what make it unique. We are constantly integrating tools from many disciplines and are stimulated by real-world goals. Creating new knowledge about microbial communities and applying that knowledge will play a critical role in creating a clean water supply and sustainable future.