Yang Haoran, Liu Jia
School of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1230 Lincoln Dr., Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA.
Biotechnol Lett. 2025 May 5;47(3):48. doi: 10.1007/s10529-025-03593-5.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental pollutants characterized by strong carbon-fluorine bonds, making them resistant to conventional degradation methods. Their widespread detection in soil, water, and living organisms, coupled with significant potential health risks, has necessitated the development of effective remediation strategies. This review provides a detailed overview of recent advances in biotechnological approaches for PFAS degradation, with a focus on microbial and bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). Microbial species such as Pseudomonas and Acidimicrobium strains have demonstrated the ability to degrade PFAS under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Key enzymes, including dehalogenases and oxygenases, play a critical role in catalyzing the breakdown of PFAS. BESs technologies, including microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), offer innovative solutions by combining microbial activity with electrochemical processes to enhance PFAS removal efficiency. Advanced BESs configurations, such as constructed wetland-MFCs, have further demonstrated the potential for enhanced PFAS removal through electrode adsorption and plant uptake. Despite significant progress, challenges remain, including PFAS toxicity, the complexity of environmental matrices, incomplete mineralization, scalability, and public safety concerns. Addressing these issues will require advancements in genetic engineering to develop robust microbial strains, optimization of BESs configurations, and integration with other advanced treatment technologies like advanced oxidation processes. Additionally, refining environmental factors such as pH, temperature, and the presence of humic substances is crucial for maximizing degradation efficiency. Future research should focus on scaling laboratory successes to field-scale applications, developing real-time monitoring tools for degradation processes, and addressing regulatory concerns. Through continuous innovation, biotechnological solutions offer a promising pathway to sustainable and effective PFAS remediation, addressing both environmental and public health concerns.
全氟和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）是持久性环境污染物，其特征是具有很强的碳氟键，这使得它们对传统降解方法具有抗性。它们在土壤、水和生物体中被广泛检测到，再加上巨大的潜在健康风险，因此有必要开发有效的修复策略。本综述详细概述了PFAS降解生物技术方法的最新进展，重点关注微生物和生物电化学系统（BESs）。诸如假单胞菌属和嗜酸微生物菌株等微生物已证明能够在需氧和厌氧条件下降解PFAS。包括脱卤酶和加氧酶在内的关键酶在催化PFAS分解中起关键作用。BESs技术，包括微生物燃料电池（MFCs）和微生物电解池（MECs），通过将微生物活性与电化学过程相结合，提供了创新的解决方案，以提高PFAS的去除效率。先进的BESs配置，如人工湿地-MFCs，进一步证明了通过电极吸附和植物吸收提高PFAS去除的潜力。尽管取得了重大进展，但挑战仍然存在，包括PFAS毒性、环境基质的复杂性、不完全矿化、可扩展性以及公共安全问题。解决这些问题需要基因工程取得进展，以开发强大的微生物菌株，优化BESs配置，并与其他先进处理技术（如高级氧化过程）集成。此外，优化pH值、温度和腐殖质存在等环境因素对于最大限度提高降解效率至关重要。未来的研究应专注于将实验室的成功经验扩大到现场规模应用，开发降解过程的实时监测工具，并解决监管问题。通过持续创新，生物技术解决方案为可持续和有效的PFAS修复提供了一条有前景的途径，解决了环境和公共卫生问题。
