The anammox bugs are micro-organisms capable of treating human effluent at an extremely rapid pace due to their voracious appetite for the nutrients contained in our ablutions. By feeding on these nutrients the bugs significantly reduce the use of both chemicals and power in wastewater plants, making the treatment process cheaper, more efficient and, most importantly, more environmentally friendly.

In an Australian first, the bugs will begin to be used in Queensland’s largest sewage treatment plant in east Brisbane this year. This is the culmination of over a decade of research and development by Veolia Water Technologies, with it taking five years just to farm enough of the slow-growing bugs at Urban Utilities facilities.

The Urban Utilities innovation team successfully farmed Anammox bugs at their facility in Brisbane in an Australian first. Image: Urban Utilities

“These remarkable bugs might be tiny, but their healthy appetites are key to unlocking a cleaner, greener and more efficient way to treat sewage,” said Urban Utilities spokesperson Michelle Cull in a statement.

“The bugs feed on nutrients like ammonium and nitrogen, naturally removing them from sewage, requiring less chemicals and energy than traditional treatment processes. The amazing anammox will help clean an equivalent of around 50 Olympic swimming pools every day as they are added to sewage, eating the waste and leaving the water behind.” 

The bugs are already proven to reduce the need for treatment chemicals and has resulted in 60 per cent less energy usage compared to traditional methods. Once proven successful at scale, the innovative technology could be rolled out Australia-wide.

Such a move could significantly improve the environmental performance of waste treatment around the country, a positive development at a time where population increases are making such services more important than ever. 

Positive Environment News has been compiled using publicly available information. Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.