CALIFORNIA – A team of US scientists have discovered a species of bacteria that can break down certain PFAS substances that were previously thought to have almost unbreakable chemical structures.
And while the identified bacteria are only able to break down unsaturated PFAS compounds, specific enzymes that are essential to cleave carbon-fluorine bonds were identified – paving the way for new work on how to tackle fully saturated PFAS.
The news comes as PFAS regulation piles up in Europe and the USA in a bid to phase-out these “forever” chemicals, which are still found on some legacy textiles, certain types of clothing treated with stain and water repellents, as well as in textile wastewater.
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