Biodegradation of fluorinated alkyl substances.

The incorporation of fluorine into organic molecules entails both positive and adverse effects. Although fluorine imparts positive and unique properties such as water-and oil-repellency and chemical stability, adverse effects often pervade members of this compound class. A striking property of long perfluoroalkyl chains is their very pronounced environmental persistence. The present review is the first one designed to summarize recent accomplishments in the field of biodegradation of fluorine-containing surfactants, their metabolites, and structural analogs. The pronounced scientific and public interest in these chemicals has given impetus to undertake numerous degradation studies to assess the sources and origins of different fluorinated analog chemical known to exist in the environment. It was shown that biodegradation plays an important role in understanding how fluorinated substances reach the environment and, once they do, what their fate is. Today, PFOS and PFOA are ubiquitously detected as environmental contaminants. Their prominence as contaminants is mainly due to their extreme persistence, which is linked to their perfluoroalkyl chain length. It appears that desulfonation of a highly fluorinated surfactants can be achieved if an α-situated H atom, in relation to the sulfonate group, is present, at least under sulfur-limiting conditions. Molecules that are less heavily fluorinated can show very complex metabolic behavior, as is the case for fluorotelomer alcohols. These compounds are degraded via different but simultaneous pathways, which produce different stable metabolites, one of which is the respective perfluoroalkanoate (8:2-FTOH is transformed to PFOA). Preliminary screening tests indicate that fluorinated functional groups, such as the trifluoromethoxy group and the p-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy group, may be useful implementations in novel, environmentally benign fluorosurfactants. More specifically, trifluoromethoxy groups constitute a substitute for those that have been used in the past; this functionality is degradable when it appears in structures that are normally subject to biodegradation. Other compounds tested did not meet this criterion. Interdisciplinary investigations on fluorinated surfactants are still very much needed and will certainly continue during the next many years. For instance, the role of fluorinated polymers in contributing small fluorinated molecules to the environmental burden still has not been fully understood.