Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): An emerging environmental challenge and (microbial)bioelectrochemical treatment strategies

IF 6.7 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health Pub Date : 2025-02-01 DOI:10.1016/j.coesh.2024.100588

Md Tabish Noori , Priyanka Gupta , Klaus Hellgardt , Booki Min

{"title":"Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): An emerging environmental challenge and (microbial)bioelectrochemical treatment strategies","authors":"Md Tabish Noori , Priyanka Gupta , Klaus Hellgardt , Booki Min","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2024.100588","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accumulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in soil, sediment, and water poses significant public health risks due to their persistence and potential toxicity. PFAS compound possesses strong C – F bonds that require very high energy to break, making current technology unsustainable and challenging for large-scale treatment. Recent mechanistic insights into microbial degradation of PFAS offer promising solutions for their sustainable degradation. Specifically, bioelectrochemical systems can effectively break the strong C – F bonds in PFAS using high-energy electrons generated from electroactive microbes at a conductive anode electrode, achieving an astonishing removal efficiency of up to 96 %. However, these systems are still experimental, requiring further optimization for successful large-scale applications. This concise yet detailed review aims to enhance understanding of the emergence of PFAS as a pervasive potent chemical, microbe-assisted degradation mechanisms, and microbial community analysis, guiding future research and policy development for improved public health and environmental management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"43 ","pages":"Article 100588"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468584424000588","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Accumulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in soil, sediment, and water poses significant public health risks due to their persistence and potential toxicity. PFAS compound possesses strong C – F bonds that require very high energy to break, making current technology unsustainable and challenging for large-scale treatment. Recent mechanistic insights into microbial degradation of PFAS offer promising solutions for their sustainable degradation. Specifically, bioelectrochemical systems can effectively break the strong C – F bonds in PFAS using high-energy electrons generated from electroactive microbes at a conductive anode electrode, achieving an astonishing removal efficiency of up to 96 %. However, these systems are still experimental, requiring further optimization for successful large-scale applications. This concise yet detailed review aims to enhance understanding of the emergence of PFAS as a pervasive potent chemical, microbe-assisted degradation mechanisms, and microbial community analysis, guiding future research and policy development for improved public health and environmental management.

Abstract Image