Landfill microbes found thriving despite toxic forever chemical exposure
Nasrollahpour S, Kumar Das R, Kaur Brar S
Phytoremediation
The same soil microbes that help your compost break down and your garden beds stay healthy might also hold the key to cleaning up the forever chemicals now showing up in water supplies near landfills and farm fields.
Researchers dug into a landfill in Ontario and found five different microbes, three types of bacteria and two types of fungi, that can survive for a month straight in water loaded with a stubborn pollutant called PFNA, part of the notorious 'forever chemicals' family. These microbes didn't just survive; they kept growing and dividing normally, which is a big deal because PFNA is famous for resisting breakdown by just about everything. Scientists now want to study these hardy organisms further to see if they can actually break the chemical down, not just tolerate it.
Key Findings
Five microbial strains (Bacillus, Stenotrophomonas, Pseudomonas, Talaromyces, and Paracremonium) survived 30 days of continuous exposure to 50 mg/L of PFNA
PFNA presence at the landfill was confirmed using three independent analytical methods: FTIR, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and LC-MS
All isolates maintained normal growth and viability under PFAS exposure, measured via optical density, dry biomass, and morphological analysis
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found bacteria and fungi living in a PFAS-contaminated landfill that can survive and grow even when soaked in a toxic 'forever chemical' called PFNA, suggesting these microbes could eventually help clean up contaminated sites.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Occurrence and microbial tolerance of perfluorononanoic acid: A case study in Ontario municipal landfill.
Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) is a long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) recognized for its environmental persistence and associated health concerns. This case study investigated ind...
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