Blending wastewater may help California cope with drought

Recycled wastewater is increasingly touted as part of the solution to California's water woes, particularly for agricultural use, as the state's historic drought continues. The cost of treating wastewater to meet state health standards for reuse and to reduce salt levels that damage crops presents a new set of challenges, however.Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed an economic model that demonstrates how flexible wastewater treatment processes which blend varying levels of treated effluent can be optimized to produce a water supply that is affordable, and meets and surpasses a variety of water quality requirements.

Making batteries with portabella mushrooms

Can portabella mushrooms stop cell phone batteries from degrading over time?Researchers at the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering think so.