Microbial Biodegradation of Persistent Organic Pollutants

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic, carbon-based chemicals that resist environmental degradation and accumulate through food webs, posing global health and ecological risks. Microbial biodegradation harnesses the metabolic versatility of bacteria, fungi and consortia to transform or mineralise POPs such as polychlorinated biphenyls, hexachlorocyclohexane isomers and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Under aerobic conditions, specialised enzymes such as oxygenases and dehalogenases initiate oxidative or hydrolytic attacks, whereas anaerobic pathways rely on reductive dechlorination to strip halogen atoms, often via corrinoid-dependent or flavin-mediated processes. Microbial catabolism proceeds through sequential steps that generate less chlorinated intermediates, which can then enter central metabolic cycles. Advances in genomics, metagenomics and isotope-fractionation techniques have elucidated community structure, gene transfer mechanisms and reaction kinetics at contaminated sites, enabling rational design of bioremediation strategies. Phytoremediation and bioaugmentation approaches combine plant–microbe interactions to enhance degradation rates, while enzyme engineering seeks to broaden substrate specificity. Despite challenges in field scale-up and co-contaminant interactions, microbial biodegradation of POPs remains a promising, sustainable solution for remediation of soils, sediments and groundwaters worldwide.

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Microbial Biodegradation of Persistent Organic Pollutants publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in microbial biodegradation of persistent organic pollutants across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs): Chemical substances that resist environmental breakdown, bioaccumulate in organisms and pose long-term risks to human health and ecosystems.

Dehalogenase: Enzyme that catalyses the removal of halogen atoms (e.g. chlorine) from organic substrates, initiating detoxification pathways.

Reductive dechlorination: Anaerobic microbial process in which chlorinated compounds serve as electron acceptors and are sequentially dechlorinated.

Cometabolism: Transformation of a compound by a microorganism that does not yield energy or growth benefit but occurs alongside metabolism of a primary substrate.

References

1. Uptake and Transformation of Hexachlorocyclohexane Isomers (HCHs) in Tree Growth Rings at a Contaminated Field Site. Environmental Science and Technology (2023).
2. Insights Into the Biodegradation of Lindane (γ-Hexachlorocyclohexane) Using a Microbial System. Frontiers in Microbiology (2020).
3. Can Alkaline Hydrolysis of γ-HCH Serve as a Model Reaction to Study Its Aerobic Enzymatic Dehydrochlorination by LinA?. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2019).