A superbug which eats sewage has been grown from scratch at a plant in Queensland in an Australian first.
The bacteria offer a greener way to treat wastewater and are saving water management company Urban Utilities, half-a-million (Australian) dollars a year.
These unique looking bacteria are called anammox bugs and they thrive on waste water - particularly the type that flushes down your toilet. They don t have x-ray vision or super strength, it s their big appetites that makes them so remarkable, says Michelle Cull from Queensland Urban Utilities.
They eat their way through sewage, getting rid of nitrogen and ammonium, and cleaning it naturally in the process. They are purposefully grown on small plastic discs called carriers which are then moved into sewage tanks.