NJIT: Enriching fluorotelomer carboxylic acids-degrading consortia from sludges and soils.

Mengyan “Ian” Li’s lab at NJIT continues to develop remediation techniques using microbes to degrade organic pollutants.  Fluorotelomer carboxylic acids (FTCAs) are a class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) that have garnered significant attention due to their prevalent occurrence, potential environmental impacts, and higher toxicity compared to their corresponding perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs).  Their latest work successfully enriched microbial consortia capable of degrading FTCAs without the need for external carbon sources, indicating a sustainable approach to biotransformation.

- They found the biotransformation of 6:2 FTCA resulted in the release of fluoride, with approximately 0.19 fluoride ions liberated per molecule, highlighting a specific biodefluorination pathway.

- In contrast, they found that the biotransformation of 5:3 FTCA resulted in minimal fluoride release, suggesting different metabolic pathways or efficiencies between the two FTCAs.

- They identified specific genera such as Hyphomicrobium, Methylorubrum, and Achromobacter as potential contributors to biodefluorination, providing insight into the microbial community dynamics involved in FTCA degradation.

The study highlighted these dominant bacterial genera that may contribute to FTCA biotransformation and biodefluorination. It also identified the need for further research to characterize the underlying genes, enzymes, and transformation pathways, which is undoubtedly next on their agenda.

Wu C, Li M. Enriching fluorotelomer carboxylic acids-degrading consortia from sludges and soils. Sci Total Environ. 2025 Jan 1;958:177823. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177823. Epub 2024 Dec 11. PMID: 39667157.  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724079804?via%3Dihub