BactoSense ID Cuts Wastewater And Bathing Water Bacteria Testing From Days To Minutes

BactoSense ID Cuts Wastewater And Bathing Water Bacteria Testing From Days To Minutes

Water waste water asia•September 30, 2026•3 min

Water

Near-real-time microbial monitoring of wastewater discharge and bathing water is now possible with BactoSense ID, a solution developed by Swiss-based bNovate Technologies.

Based on flow cytometry technology used in drinking water, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage applications, BactoSense ID is a continuous, automated water quality monitoring system that can quantify and identify bacteria including coliforms, enterococci and E coli in less than 60 minutes. This compares with 18–72 hours for conventional laboratory testing.

Rapid detection and quantification can complement traditional laboratory testing while enabling faster responses to changes in bacterial levels that could affect compliance, including in water reuse and recreational bathing water applications.

BactoSense ID uses reagents contained in interchangeable cartridges, allowing different bacteria to be tested as required. Unlike manual, offline testing, the system provides automated online measurements and rapid results.

For wastewater treatment plant operators, the system is designed to operate in treatment plant conditions and provides a continuous signal alongside periodic regulatory testing. This can help operators adjust treatment processes based on actual bacterial levels, potentially reducing electricity and chemical consumption while mitigating compliance and environmental risks and supporting wider water reuse.

Integration with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems allows real-time data to be incorporated into existing plant operations without requiring a separate monitoring system.

For environmental agencies, BactoSense ID is designed for field deployment and seasonal bathing water monitoring. Under the EU Bathing Water Directive, official bathing sites may be tested as few as four times per season, with results taking two days or longer. Continuous monitoring can help identify contamination between scheduled samples and support faster responses.

Instrument data can also be shared through public dashboards, providing live visibility of water quality at recreational bathing sites.

Bacterial levels can vary significantly between manual tests, meaning contamination may go undetected until the next sample is collected. BactoSense ID provides a continuous signal instead. At one of Switzerland’s largest wastewater treatment plants, for example, the system detected a 20-fold increase in coliform cell counts within four hours of heavy rainfall.

Linking BactoSense ID with bNovate’s multi-point sampling device, BactoSwitch, enables automated measurements before and after treatment steps using a single analyser. This can help operators adjust disinfectant dosing according to bacterial levels, balancing treatment costs with compliance requirements and confirming when bacterial concentrations have returned to acceptable levels.

“BactoSense ID represents a significant step forward for bNovate and for the rapid detection, identification and quantification of bacteria. It is opening a new era of innovation in water quality testing,” said Serge Gander, chief executive officer of bNovate Technologies.

“Our aim is not to replace laboratory cultivation tests, but to complement them with different methodologies. By closing the blind spots between compliance sampling and providing a continuous process signal, we are making microbiological data more actionable,” Gander explained.