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16S rRNA gene data for aerobic BTEX-degrading enrichments exposed to sulfonamide polyfluorinated substances in fire-fighting foams and transformation products

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Apr 12, 2024 version files 383.37 MB

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs) can hinder bioremediation of co-contaminants, such as trichloroethene (TCE) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX). Anaerobic dechlorination can require bioaugmentation of Dehalococcoides and for BTEX, oxygen is often sparged to stimulate in-situ aerobic biodegradation. We tested PFAS inhibition to TCE and BTEX bioremediation by exposing an anaerobic TCE-dechlorinating co-culture, an aerobic BTEX-degrading enrichment culture, and an anaerobic toluene-degrading enrichment culture to n-dimethyl perfluorohexane sulfonamido amine (AmPr-FHxSA), perfluorohexane sulfonamide (FHxSA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), or non-fluorinated surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The anaerobic TCE-dechlorinating co-culture was resistant to individual PFASs exposures but was inhibited by >1,000x diluted AFFF. FHxSA and AmPr-FHxSA inhibited the aerobic BTEX-degrading enrichment. The anaerobic toluene-degrading enrichment was not inhibited by AFFF or individual PFASs. Increases in amino acids in the anaerobic TCE-dechlorinating co-culture compared to the control indicated stress response, while the BTEX culture exhibited lower concentrations of all amino acids upon exposure to most surfactants (both fluorinated and non-fluorinated) compared to the control. These data suggest the main mechanisms of microbial toxicity are related to interactions with cell membrane synthesis as well as protein stress signaling.