Her coauthors were Peng-Fei Yan and Natalie Capiro from Cornell University and Linda Abriola and Kurt Pennell from Brown University.
Sheng is a Senior Staff Professional based in Minnesota who focuses on process engineering, remedial design, PFAS fate and transport, and data analysis and visualization. While completing her doctoral degree, she researched PFAS fate, transport, and effects on microbial communities and biodegradation of chlorinated solvents.
Environmental Science & Technology publishes rigorous and robust papers for scientists, policymakers, and the broad environmental community. The journal advances scholarship on critical environmental problems and complex environmental phenomena, particularly with respect to fate, transport, and transformation in natural and engineered systems. The journal is published by the American Chemical Society, a nonprofit organization founded in 1876 and chartered by the United States Congress.
Abstract
Despite widespread detection of perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA) in the environment, its potential for biotransformation by native soil microorganisms and the resulting impacts on microbial communities remain poorly understood. This study examined the biotransformation of FOSA over 308 days in microcosms prepared with two soils, historically per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)-contaminated soil and PFAS-free agricultural soil. Indigenous microorganisms in both soils were able to biotransform FOSA with half-lives ranging from 203.0 to 335.1 days. Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) was the primary biotransformation product, with a molar yield of 21.6 ± 5.2 mol% in the historically PFAS-contaminated soil and 29.5 ± 3.8 mol% in the initially PFAS-free soil. Microbial community analysis revealed that members of the phyla Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidota, as well as the genus Afipia, exhibited greater tolerance to elevated concentrations of FOSA and/or its biotransformation products. Metagenomic predictions using Tax4Fun2 identified functional genes related to amino acid metabolism, sulfur metabolism, and the two-component system, which may be linked to FOSA exposure and/or its biotransformation. These findings highlight the role of biotransformation processes in shaping the environmental fate of FOSA and PFOS and offer insights into the capacity of native soil microbial communities to transform FOSA and related perfluorooctane sulfonamide derivatives.
More Information
Read the article.
Learn more about the journal.
For more information on FOSA, contact Sheng at Sheng.Dong@geosyntec.com.
Learn more about Sheng: Sheng Dong | LinkedIn
