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natural micropollutant degradation

The interaction between environmental conditions and microbial community composition determines micropollutant biodegradation. This study investigated how different electron acceptors and microbial communities affect micropollutant biodegradation. We observed that, among the five redox conditions studied, aerobic conditions supported biodegradation of a higher number of micropollutants, while, curiously, nitrate-reducing conditions resulted in the lowest number. Additionally, the richer a microbial community was, the more micropollutants it could biodegrade. And with a higher concentration of organic carbon, contaminant breakdown was higher too.

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H. R. Branco, R., Meulepas, R.J.W., van Veelen, H.P.J., Rijnaarts, H.H.M., Sutton, N.B. (2023). Influence of redox condition and inoculum on micropollutant biodegradation by soil and activated sludge communities. The Science of the Total Environment, 897(165233), 165233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165233