Biodegrading the Undegradable: Microorganisms in PFAS Elimination

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called “forever chemicals,” are of increasing environmental and health concern due to their persistence and widespread presence. Their high chemical, thermal, and biological stability—and their tendency to exist as complex mixtures in environmental matrices—make the remediation of PFAS-contaminated water, soil, and sediment particularly difficult. Despite significant efforts to develop technologies for PFAS removal and degradation, many current methods remain inefficient or impractical at scale, often hindered by high costs, energy demands, and strict operational requirements

Biological methods for the decontamination of recalcitrant pollutants in the environment are among the most cost-effective, eco-friendly, and operationally simple approaches. However, despite a few reported cases of PFAS biotransformation, effective PFAS biodegradation is still uncommon and typically proceeds very slowly. This is largely attributed to the extremely low chemical reactivity of the carbon–fluorine (C–F) bond in PFAS compounds. This Research Topic aims to provide an overview of current trends and future directions in microbial strategies for PFAS mitigation, supporting global efforts toward environmental protection. It will include contributions exploring the use of microorganisms in combination with synergistic technologies, such as treatment train approaches or hybrid solutions, which have been identified as promising strategies for achieving effective in situ PFAS elimination.

We welcome Original Research, Reviews and Methods contributions that investigate microbial PFAS degradation, including biodegradation by bacteria, fungi, and microalgae. Topics of interest include:
• Role of microorganisms in PFAS removal;
• Identification of novel PFAS-degrading organisms;
• Mechanisms and pathways of PFAS biodegradation;
• Identification and assessment of PFAS degradation products and their toxicity
• Hybrid technological advancements that improve the practicality, efficiency, and scalability of PFAS bioremediation across environmental matrices (water, soil, sediment, wastewater, sludge).

Please note that Microbiotechnology does not consider descriptive studies that are solely based on amplicon (e.g., 16S rRNA) profiles or comparisons of nucleic acid extracts (e.g., metagenomics), unless they are accompanied by a clear hypothesis and experimentation and provide insight into the microbiological system or process being studied.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Defluorination, Mineralization, Microbial PFAS degradation, Biological PFAS treatment, Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, Forever chemicals, PFAS removal technologies, PFAS bioremediation

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.