PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are extremely resilient chemical compounds that have been widely used in various applications since the 1940s. Due to their persistence in the environment and their harmful effects on human health, they are often referred to as “forever chemicals.“
In the face of this near-permanent pollution, a promising new avenue is emerging: microbes could offer a natural solution for breaking down these contaminants.
Yujie Men: A Pioneer in Bacterial Research
As early as 2016, Professor Yujie Men and her colleague, Professor Jinyong Liu, began exploring various methods for degrading PFAS. Microbes quickly stood out as promising candidates for several reasons:
- They are known for their ability to break down complex chemical compounds, including plastics.
- They offer an eco-friendly solution for PFAS removal, avoiding the use of harmful chemicals.
- They can reproduce and adapt to changing conditions, making them a sustainable long-term solution.
- They can operate in situ, directly within contaminated environments, reducing the costs and logistics associated with extracting and treating contaminants.
In 2022, Professor Men’s team published a series of groundbreaking findings, identifying specific microbes capable of degrading certain chlorinated perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs), which are among the most resistant PFAS. Their studies demonstrated that two specific bacteria — Desulfovibrio aminophilus and Sporomusa sphaeroides — could attack the strong chemical bonds of PFAS, breaking them down into unstable compounds with a shorter environmental lifespan.
Research Accelerates
New studies by other teams have confirmed that certain bacteria, present in oxygen-rich environments, can break the carbon-fluorine bonds of PFAS, which are known for their exceptional strength.
In 2024, a study conducted by Cornell University not only identified additional microbes capable of degrading PFAS (Variovorax, Rhodococcus, and Cupriavidus, commonly found in soil), but also pinpointed the specific genes responsible for this ability.
This discovery opens up possibilities for genetic engineering to enhance these degradation processes: microbes could be genetically modified to become even more effective at destroying PFAS, promising major advances in treating contaminated site
No Short-Term Solution, But a Promising Future
While research progresses, scientists acknowledge that we are only beginning to understand the interaction between microbes and PFAS. Recent studies highlight that the potential for PFAS degradation by microbes varies depending on the types of PFAS, environmental conditions, and the microbial diversity present. Nevertheless, current findings are encouraging and pave the way for developing new technologies for treating contaminated water and soil.
Future research will need to continue exploring and refining these methods to make PFAS bioremediation a practical solution on a large scale.
Sources :
- Degradation and metabolism of synthetic plastics and associated products by Pseudomonas sp.: capabilities and challenges, Journal of Applied Microbiology
- Researchers studying bacteria that degrade PFAS, ultimate destruction still ‘elusive’, Port City Daily
- Substantial defluorination of polychlorofluorocarboxylic acids triggered by anaerobic microbial hydrolytic dechlorination, Nature
- Can microbes save us from PFAS?, Chemical & Engineering News
- Potential microbes and genes that impact forever chemicals identified, Cornell Chronicle
- Using Network Analysis and Predictive Functional Analysis to Explore the Fluorotelomer Biotransformation Potential of Soil Microbial Communities, ACS Publications
- A review of microbial degradation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): Biotransformation routes and enzymes, Science Direct
*Image de Freepik
