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Environment & Energy

Next-Generation Sewage Treatment Through Metagenomic Analysis

In partnership with the City of Higashi-Hiroshima, Hitachi Zosen, and Hiroshima University, we use metagenomic analysis (Bio-DX) to visualize the microbiome inside sewage treatment facilities, improving operating efficiency and cutting electricity use and CO₂ emissions, with an eye toward rolling out the "Higashi-Hiroshima model" nationwide and globally.

Next-Generation Sewage Treatment Through Metagenomic Analysis
  • Goal: improve the operating efficiency of sewage treatment facilities and reduce electricity consumption
  • Method: “Bio-DX” (Bio-Digital Transformation) using metagenomic analysis
  • Partners: City of Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima Chuo Environmental Sanitation Association, Hitachi Zosen Corporation
  • Featured article (Japanese only): Optimizing a sewage treatment facility with Bio-DX (Higashi-Hiroshima City) [Startup Joint Procurement Project]: https://note.com/hiroshima_sb/n/n365c78203a55

Project Overview: Optimizing Sewage Treatment at the Hiroshima Chuo Eco Park

Project Highlights

  1. Visualizing the black box: metagenomic analysis visualizes the relationships within the community of hundreds of microbial species (the microbiome) that sits between the sewage brought in (input) and the purified water produced (output).
  2. Species-level analysis: by reading the full-length 16S rRNA gene with long reads (PacBio HiFi), we achieve detailed microbiome analysis at the species level, going beyond conventional genus-level identification.
  3. Adapting to seasonal variation: we clarify how the microbiome differs between summer (high water temperature) and winter (low water temperature), and how the input affects the water treatment system.

Expected Outcomes

  1. Optimizing operating efficiency: by clarifying the relative abundance of nitrifying bacteria, denitrifying bacteria, anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) bacteria, nitrous oxide (N₂O)-reducing bacteria, and other organisms involved in nitrogen removal, we derive operating conditions that fit the goal.
  2. Reducing electricity consumption: by improving the efficiency of the especially power-intensive nitrogen removal process, we achieve a substantial reduction in electricity use.
  3. Reducing CO₂ emissions: improved energy efficiency contributes to reducing the facility’s overall CO₂ emissions.
  4. A path to new technology development: in the future, this will lead to the development of alternative reagents using local biomass and to technology demonstrations of a new biofilm process, “MABR” (Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor).
  5. Nationwide and global rollout of the “Higashi-Hiroshima model”: building on our success at full plant scale, we will conduct top-level sales outreach to municipalities and operators in Japan and abroad.

Partnerships and Future Outlook

This project is drawing attention as a successful model of industry-academia-government collaboration. Building on our partnership with the City of Higashi-Hiroshima and our technical collaboration with Hitachi Zosen Corporation, we aim to bring our research results into practical use and expand nationwide. We are also pursuing comprehensive research and development on CO₂ reduction and effective use of biomass through industry-academia-government collaboration that includes Hiroshima University.

Project Roadmap

  1. Data collection phase (currently underway)
    • Collecting approximately 100 samples from the Hiroshima Chuo Eco Park and performing metagenomic analysis
    • Correlation analysis with water quality data
  2. Model-building phase
    • Developing a predictive model of microbial community dynamics
    • Designing the optimal conditions for treatment efficiency
  3. Demonstration phase
    • Validating the developed model in a real-world environment
    • Optimizing operating parameters and measuring their effects
  4. Rollout phase
    • Standardizing the technology as the “Higashi-Hiroshima model”
    • Rolling it out to municipalities and operators in Japan and abroad

Through this project, PtBio aims to apply Bio-DX in environmental technology and to provide solutions that contribute to a sustainable society.

  • Partners: City of Higashi-Hiroshima / Hiroshima Chuo Environmental Sanitation Association / Hitachi Zosen Corporation / Hiroshima University
  • Field: Environment & Energy
  • Featured article: Optimizing a sewage treatment facility with Bio-DX (Higashi-Hiroshima City): https://note.com/hiroshima_sb/n/n365c78203a55
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