Dual-purpose elemental sulfur for capturing and accelerating biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in anaerobic environment.

ABSTRACT: Hydrophobic organic pollutants in aqueous environments are challenging to biodegrade due to limited contact between microorganisms, the pollutants and the electron acceptor, particularly under anaerobic or anoxic conditions. Here, we propose a novel strategy that uses inexpensive, dual-function elemental sulfur (S⁰) to enhance biodegradation. Using petroleum hydrocarbons as the target pollutants, we demonstrated that hydrophobic and nonpolar S° can concentrate hydrocarbons while simultaneously serving as an electron acceptor to enrich hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. The permeable reactive barrier filled with S⁰ effectively removed petroleum hydrocarbons. In addition to rapid adsorption, we discovered, for the first time, that petroleum hydrocarbons underwent efficient

SUBMITTER: Zhao Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11664143 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature