SBIR Phase I: Phage control of filamentous bacteria - A novel focused antimicrobial approach to counter microbial problems in municipal wastewater systems

This SBIR Phase I project will develop a phage technology to remediate and control the foam-causing microorganisms at wastewater treatment plants. The research will include isolation of problematic foaming Nocardia species, isolation of phage capable of killing foaming Nocardia, and evaluation of phage clearing of Nocardia in batch culture test systems. This is an important issue in wastewater treatment and the concept of using phage for foam control in waste water systems is innovative. The broader/commercial impacts of the proposed project will be the potential applications of the proposed technology. Activated sludge wastewater treatment processes are common. Problematic foaming caused by excessive microbial growth occurs if the operation conditions are not optimized. The project will allow development of an innovative solution and if successful, should have significant commercial value.