Down and dirty: Cleaning Okinawan pig farm wastewater with microbial fuel cells

One of the greatest threats to the environment today is wastewater left over from production activities. Agricultural practices, such as pig farming, produce a large amount of wastewater containing organic contaminants, malodorous gases, and other substances that are damaging to the water supply. Usual methods of treating and recycling such wastewater include aeration, applying it as fertilizer to other farming areas or confining it to specialized ponds and wetlands to undergo natural cleansing processes.