Scientists Discover Bacteria That Eats “Forever Chemicals”

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Source: https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-bacteria-that-eats-forever-chemicals/

Scientists Discover Bacteria That Eats “Forever Chemicals”

By University at Buffalo -- on January 28, 2025

Scientists discovered a bacterium that degrades PFAS and their toxic byproducts, offering a potential solution for these persistent pollutants. Further research aims to enhance its efficiency for environmental use

 University at Buffalo study reveals that a strain isolated from contaminated soil can break down the strong carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS, including some of the shorter-chain PFAS left behind.

In the quest to take the “forever” out of “forever chemicals,” bacteria might be our ally.

While most PFAS remediation methods focus on capturing and containing these chemicals, certain microbes can actually dismantle the exceptionally strong chemical bonds that make PFAS so persistent in the environment.

A research team led by the University at Buffalo has discovered a strain of bacteria capable of breaking down and transforming at least three types of PFAS. Notably, this strain can also degrade some of the toxic byproducts produced during the breakdown process.



Their findings, published in Science of the Total Environment, reveal that the bacterium Labrys portucalensis F11 (F11) metabolized more than 90% of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) over 100 days. PFOS, one of the most prevalent and persistent PFAS compounds, was classified as hazardous by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2022.

The F11 bacteria also broke down a substantial portion of two additional types of PFAS after 100 days: 58% of 5:3 fluorotelomer carboxylic acid and 21% of 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate.

“The bond between carbon and fluorine atoms in PFAS is very strong, so most microbes cannot use it as an energy source. The F11 bacterial strain developed the ability to chop away the fluorine and eat the carbon,” says the study’s corresponding author, Diana Aga, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Henry M. Woodburn Chair in the Department of Chemistry, within the UB College of Arts and Sciences, and director of the UB RENEW Institute.

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