A team of scientists from the University of California Riverside and Los Angeles found a type of bacteria that can break down certain chemicals called PFAS. These chemicals are made by humans and don’t go away easily in the environment.
PFAS were originally used in products like non-stick pans and food containers, but they ended up in our water supply and food chain. Eating these chemicals has been linked to many health problems in people, animals, and plants.
To get rid of PFAS, researchers looked for bacteria that can naturally break them down. They found some bacteria that produce special enzymes that help break the bonds holding PFAS together. By studying how these bacteria work, they discovered more types of bacteria that can eat PFAS, including ones already living in wastewater treatment plants.
The team also experimented with adding special materials to water samples and applying electricity to make the bacteria work more efficiently. They suggest doing more research to find all the different types of bacteria that can break down PFAS and to develop ways to use them to keep these harmful chemicals out of our food and water.
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Source: https://phys.org/news/2024-08-microbes-carbon-fluorine-bonds-unsaturated.html