Biodegradation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) via Superoxide-Hyper-Producting Bacteria
Abstract
PFASs are a class of over 4,700 synthetic compounds that are used in an array of industrial processes, consumer products, and in firefighting foam. This has resulted in their widespread distribution throughout the environment, with thousands of known or suspected release areas at Department of Defense facilities, and many more suspected releases at municipal and commercial sites. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established health advisory levels of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for two of these compounds combined (PFOA and PFOS), and many state agencies have lower PFAS regulatory levels, reflecting their perceived toxicity and bioaccumulation potential. The objective of this limited-scopeproposal is to evaluate a novel method to remediate PFAS, based on bacterial strains that are capable of producing superoxide at high rates and assessing their capacity to degrade model PFASs. Specifically, this project explored the potential of superoxide (including that generated by bacterial hyper-producers of extracellular superoxide) to degrade PFAS.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 08, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1154405
Entities
People
- Jacques Mathieu
- Javed Hassan
- Jordin Metz
- Pedro J. Alvarez
Organizations
- Rice University