Wastewater contains untapped resources that, if reclaimed, could power agriculture, global sanitation, and its own treatment to help us meet UN SDG goals.
This is according to a new Frontiers in Science lead article in which researchers Prof Uwe Schröder, Prof Falk Harnisch, Dr Elizabeth Heidrich, and Dr Deepak Pant examine how microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) can convert organic waste streams into electricity, fuels, fertilizers, and usable water more efficiently. Pilot deployments—from the UK’s Glastonbury Festival to field trials in Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa—are demonstrating its potential to reclaim energy and harness the 359 billion cubic meters of wastewater being flushed away annually.
Join the authors at our Frontiers in Science Deep Dive webinar on 7 May 2026, 16:00–17:30 CEST, as they explore the scientific, engineering, and regulatory challenges that must be addressed to scale these technologies and transition from pilots to large-scale implementation.
Waste to value: microbial electrochemical technologies for sustainable water, material, and energy cycles | 7 May 2026 | Register
Frontiers in Science Deep Dive sessions bring researchers, policy experts, and innovators together from around the world to discuss a specific area of transformational science published in Frontiers' flagship, multidisciplinary journal, Frontiers in Science, and explore next steps for the field.