废水是有着巨大潜力的珍贵资源。微生物在重复利用和处理废水方面有重要作用。此次专家们主要谈谈怎样将废水变废为宝。

来自世界卫生组织的凯特·梅德利科特和布鲁斯·戈登说，废水是抗生素耐药的重要成因。微生物学家能在这方面的重点问题上有重要作用。联合国环境署的拉米扎纳说微生物必须在安全使用废水方面发挥积极作用，特别是研究怎样去除病原体、药物、激素成分。代尔夫特理工大学教授马克·梵·洛斯德莱特说，有氧颗粒污泥工艺能制成颗粒而不是絮状物，细菌处理过的胞外聚合物是一种新资源。聚合物可以用于在建造土房子的时候加强材料的强度。来自水援助、世界厕所组织的官员和联合国教科文组织-国际水利环境工程学院-代尔夫特的学者也对微生物帮助处理废水、再利用发表了评论。

Topic | Ask the experts: tapping into wastewater for World Toilet Day

Wastewater has huge potential as a valuable resource. Microbiology could play a transformative role in the sustainable reuse and treatment of wastewater. To find out more, we asked an expert panel to share their views on how to take the ‘waste’ out of wastewater. 

Kate Medlicott and Bruce Gordon from WHO said that wastewater is also increasingly recognized as a driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Microbiologists can help enormously by addressing key research questions in this area. Birguy Lamizana from UN Environment said microbiology will have to play an active role to ensure the safety of the use of wastewater, particularly when it comes to helping identify and remove pathogens, pharmaceutical and or endocrine disruptors. Mark van Loosdrecht from Delft University of Technology said the aerobic granular sludge process makes granules instead of flocs. The exopolymers produced by the bacteria form a new resource.  Polymers can be used in strengthening the material used in construction of loam based houses. Officials from WaterAid, World Toilet Organization and scientists from UNESCO-IHE Delft also made remarks about how microbiology can help recycling wastewater.