The research group Microbiology of water related to health (MARS), from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona (UB) have developed a method that quickly analyzes the microbial quality of water and assesses treatment processes applied

The research group Microbiology of water related to health (MARS), from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona (UB) have developed a method that quickly analyzes the microbial quality of water and assesses treatment processes applied in the treatment and purification. This method can also be applied to the assessment of the microbial quality of food and biosolids.

MARS research group has over ten years participating in European projects developing new indicators appropriate for microbial analysis easily and economically sustainable to determine the quality of the sludge and the validation of sanitation treatments that are applied. Somatic bacteriophages have shown this to be an alternative indicators and indicators have been incorporated as viral sludge regulations in countries such as Australia and Colombia. They have also incorporated or are in the process of valuation, standards in quality of drinking water in other countries. Currently, the US is considering the use of bacteriophages as indicators measuring microbial required when revised regulations related to water treatment, and possibly in the future in the treatment of sludge and biosolids.

Also, the group has patented a procedure for the fast analysis of somatic bacteriophages – available on the FBG catalog of available technologies – and is searching partnerships to develop a commercial kit. This was presented on September 27 at the annual congress of the WEF / Werf in Chicago, where the researcher Anicet Blanch participated in a conference and debate as an European expert in identifying new microbial indicators.

MARS research group is for over 25 years, an international leader in the use of bacteriophages as indicators and models microorganisms in drinking water and wastewater, as well as other materials such as food, soil, sediment, sludge and biosolids.