The Occurrence and Bioremediation of Emerging Polyfluorinated Compounds in Water Bodies: A Mini Review

• Published in: Applied sciences 2022-12, Vol.12 (23), p.12196
• Main Authors: Khumalo, Siphesihle Mangena, Bakare, Babatunde Femi, Rathilal, Sudesh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; Anthropogenic factors; Aquatic ecosystems; Aquatic environment; Aquatic organisms; Biodegradable materials; Biodegradation; Biological activity; Bioremediation; Clean technology; Drinking water; Environmental chemistry; Health problems; Human tissues; Hydrophobicity; Microbial degradation; microbial species; Microorganisms; Perfluoroalkyl & polyfluoroalkyl substances; Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid; Perfluorooctanoic acid; Physicochemical properties; Phytoremediation; Pollutants; polyfluorinated compounds; Pseudomonas; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Receiving waters; Sulfonic acid; Thyroid gland; Wastewater; Wastewater treatment; Water analysis; Water sampling
• ISSN: 2076-3417; 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app122312196

The occurrence and fate of polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in the aquatic environment resulting from anthropogenic activities has become an emerging issue of environmental chemistry. PFCs have been detected in drinking water samples, aquatic life, human tissue, and blood serum. This is attributed to their xenobiotic attributes making them environmentally persistent, bio-accumulative, and globally distributed in water receiving bodies, posing serious health problems to aquatic life and human health. This is ascribed to PFCs’ peculiar physicochemical properties of being hydrophobic and oleophobic and their removal process from wastewater streams is different from any other organic pollutants. Therefore, this review summarizes the environmental occurrence and recent developments on microbial degradation of the most detected PFCs, i.e., perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) in water bodies. The available literature suggests that PFOA and PFOS are susceptible to biodegradation by Acidimicrobium sp. strain A6, Pseudomonas parafulva strain YAB1, Pseudomonas plecoglossicidia 2.4-D, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain HJ4. Moreover, the current study presents a summary on phytoremediation of PFOA and PFOS as a sustainable green technology. Despite the extensive work undertaken on bioremediation of PFOA and PFOS by biological processes, the available literature suggests that a lot of work still needs to be carried out aimed at investigating the biodegradation pathway of PFOA and PFOS by both microbial species and plants.