Synergistic mineralization of the UV filter benzophenone-3 by a cross-feeding consortium from wastewater treatment plants: Insights into novel pathway and bioremediation strategy

Abstract

Benzophenone-3 (BP-3), used as an organic UV filter in diverse consumer products including cosmetics, has been frequently detected in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and aquatic environments. BP-3 and its transformation products are regarded as emerging micropollutants due to their low biodegradability. Here, we investigate the synergistic degradation of BP-3 by a bacterial consortium seeded from aerobic sludge WWTPs. BP-3 is found to be initially degraded through a novel pathway involving a C-C bond cleavage step, producing intermediates 3-methoxyphenol (3MOP) and benzoate, two naturally occurring compounds which can be readily degraded in the environment. Metagenome-guided pure culture isolation and pathway analysis reveal that bacterial strains from genera Pigmentiphaga and Brucella synergistically contribute to the BP-3 mineralization. Specifically, the Pigmentiphaga strain degrades BP-3 into benzoate and 3MOP, with the former being utilized by itself and the latter utilized by the Brucella strain. A reconstructed consortium, consisting of two isolated strains from Pigmentiphaga and Brucella, exhibits similar degradation performance to that of the natural consortium, indicating their crucial roles in environmental BP-3 degradation. These findings provide new insights into BP-3 biodegradation at the microbial community level, offering potential strategies for wastewater treatment applications by manipulating synthetic microbial consortia.