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MICROBIAL TRANSFORMATION OF FLUORINATED ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS
Description:
Fluorinated organic compounds (FOCs) are released into the environment in significant amounts by anthropogenic activities. Despite liberal use of FOCs, these compounds have received relatively little attention from scientists, regulatory agencies, and the public because they were perceived as biologically inert and therefore not likely to have an impact on ecosystem health. Recent toxicological studies, however, indicate that fluorinated compounds are not biologically inert, and may pose a risk to ecosystem function and stability, as well as to human health. Hence, the overall goal of the proposed research effort is to elucidate the potential of microorganisms to degrade and detoxify fluorinated environmental pollutants under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Specifically we will investigate (i) whether FOCs are favorable electron acceptors for halorespiring populations under anaerobic conditions, (ii) demonstrate that defluorination of polyfluorinated hydrocarbons is feasible using model compounds and model organisms, and (iii) develop defluorinating microcosms and enrichment cultures from a collection of soil, aquifer, and sediment samples.