Researchers at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, on Thursday, announced the development of a low-energy wastewater treatment technology that can disinfect biopharmaceutical wastewater while recovering reusable water and methane-rich biogas, offering a sustainable solution for one of the most challenging industrial effluents.The technology, demonstrated at the laboratory scale, is being taken forward for industrial deployment in collaboration with Biological E. Ltd., a Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer. The project is supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under its water technology initiative programme, and the core disinfection technology has been filed for an Indian patent, said an official release.Biopharmaceutical fermentation wastewater is considered difficult to treat because it contains large quantities of live production micro-organisms, residual antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes. Industries currently rely on chemical treatment and steam-based autoclaving to eliminate biosafety risks, a process that is both energy-intensive and costly.To address these challenges, BITS Environmental Science and Technology (BEST) Laboratory researchers developed an integrated three-stage treatment system that combines electrical disinfection, biological treatment and energy recovery.The first stage employs Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) technology, which uses high-voltage, short-duration electrical pulses to destroy bacterial cells through irreversible electroporation. According to the researchers, the process achieves more than 99.9999% bacterial inactivation, comparable to conventional sterilisation methods, without the use of chemicals or heat.In the second stage, the disinfected wastewater is treated in a sequencing batch reactor, where naturally occurring micro-organisms remove organic pollutants. The process eliminates over 90% of the organic load, producing treated water that can be further polished through membrane filtration for reuse.The final stage uses the team’s patented Intelligently Stirred Thermophilic Anaerobic Reactor, which converts residual sludge into methane-rich biogas. The recovered biogas can help meet part of the energy requirements of the treatment plant, while the treated water can be reused, supporting efforts towards zero liquid discharge.Professor Sankar Ganesh Palani of the Department of Biological Sciences said the integrated approach demonstrates that complex industrial wastewater can be disinfected using electrical pulses while simultaneously recovering water and energy resources.The research team also consisted of Professor Mithun Mondal of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and research scholar Ravindra Dnyanaba Kulal. A research paper detailing the findings is currently under peer review. Published - July 30, 2026 06:47 pm IST