Project

Synergistic PFAS Solutions: Developing Degradative Enzymes and Biological Routes

Fluorinated organic chemicals, such as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl sub- stances (PFAS) are both broadly useful and unusually long-lived. Despite their beneficial properties, they have become an environmental hazard and serious steps need to be undertaken to design biological routes for PFAS degradation, but also new synthetic routes to produce sustainable alternatives that can replace PFAS.

Background

PFAS is a diverse group of synthetic chemicals that have been manufactured and used in various industries around the world since the 1940s. Renowned for their unique ability to repel water, oil, and heat, PFAS have found applications in a multitude of products, ranging from non-stick cookware and water-resistant fabrics to firefighting foams and industrial lubricants. These attributes are primarily due to the strong carbon-fluorine bonds that characterize PFAS molecules, making them highly stable and resistant to degradation.

However, the very properties that make PFAS so useful also contribute to their persistence in the environment. Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS do not naturally break down, leading to their accumulation in soil, water, and living organisms. Over time, this persistence has resulted in widespread environmental contamination and bioaccumulation in wildlife and humans. Studies have linked exposure to certain PFAS to adverse health effects, including cancer, liver damage, immune system disorders, and developmental issues in children.

The pervasive nature of PFAS pollution has become a significant concern for environmental and public health authorities globally. Traditional remediation methods are often ineffective or economically unfeasible due to the chemical’s resistance to conventional degradation processes. As a result, there is an urgent need for innovative strategies to both mitigate existing contamination and reduce future environmental and health risks associated with PFAS.

Recent advancements in materials science, chemistry, and biotechnology offer promising avenues for addressing the challenges posed by PFAS. We aim to explore a range of approaches, from developing new, less harmful chemicals that can replace PFAS in various applications to engineering biological systems capable of breaking down these persistent pollutants. These efforts are essential to ensure sustainable environmental practices and protect human health from the long-term impacts of PFAS exposure.

Project description

PFAS is a persistent environmental pollutant known for their widespread use and resistance to degradation. These “forever chemicals” pose significant health and ecological risks. This project aims to address the PFAS challenge through an innovative, dual-approach strategy: developing computational algorithms to design safe and effective PFAS alternatives, and engineering novel enzymes capable of degrading existing PFAS compounds. By integrating advanced machine learning techniques with cutting-edge synthetic biology, this project seeks to create sustainable solutions for PFAS management, contributing to cleaner environments and healthier communities.

Main goals

  • Retrobiosynthesis: Designing and validating algorithms find potential biological or biochemical routes to produce sustainable PFAS alternatives
  • Engineering new biochemical routes to produce sustainable PFAS alternatives
  • Finding novel enzymes through bioprospecting
  • Engineering novel enzymes for PFAS degradation
  • Creating microbial strains that can degrade PFAS