Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Bioremediation of PFAS with special bacteria: Labrys portucalensis F11 [0.6.1 |0.6.15], Acidimicrobium sp. strain A6, and certain Pseudomonas species

https://www.pca.state.mn.us/pollutants-and-contaminants/pfas 

   On a per-pound basis, this type of clean up would cost $2.8 million-$18 million per pound of PFAS. In comparison, purchasing PFAS costs between $50-$1,000 per pound.

https://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2025/01/bacteria-found-to-eat-forever-chemicals.html

Now, a University at Buffalo-led team has identified a strain of bacteria that can break down and transform at least three types of PFAS, and, perhaps even more crucially, some of the toxic byproducts of the bond-breaking process.

Published in this month’s issue of Science of the Total Environment, the team’s study found that Labrys portucalensis F11 (F11) metabolized over 90% of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) following an exposure period of 100 days....

Eventually, F11 could be deployed in PFAS-contaminated water and soil. This might involve creating conditions to grow the strain within activated sludge at a wastewater treatment plant, or even injecting the bacteria directly into the soil or groundwater of a contaminated site, a process called bioaugmentation. 

“In wastewater- activated sludge systems, you could accelerate removal of undesired compounds by adding a specific strain to the existing bacterial consortium in the treatment plants,” Aga says. “Bioaugmentation is a promising method that has not yet been explored for PFAS remediation in the environment.”

  • Carbon-Fluorine Bonds: PFAS molecules have extremely strong carbon-fluorine bonds. These tough bonds make the chemicals resistant to natural breakdown, earning them the name "forever chemicals". [1, 2, 3, 4]
  • Specialized Strains: Recent studies show specific bacteria like Labrys portucalensis F11 [0.6.1 |0.6.15], Acidimicrobium sp. strain A6, and certain Pseudomonas species can target these compounds. [1, 2, 3]
  • Defluorination: These microbes use special enzymes to detach fluorine atoms and metabolize the remaining carbon for energy [0.6.1 |0.6.15]. [1, 2, 3]
  • Bioaccumulation: Some human gut bacteria do not destroy PFAS, but they can absorb and trap the chemicals inside their cells to help excrete them
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