biostudies-literatureChe SHHS | NIH | National Institute of Environmental Health SciencesDOD | Strategic Environmental Research and Development ProgramNIEHS NIH HHSDOD | Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP)HHS | NIH | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)e2400525121https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11295042biostudies-literatureUnknown121(31)Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), particularly the perfluorinated ones, are recalcitrant to biodegradation. By integrating an enrichment culture of reductive defluorination with biocompatible electrodes for the electrochemical process, a deeper defluorination of a C₆-perfluorinated unsaturated PFAS was achieved compared to the biological or electrochemical system alone. Two synergies in the bioelectrochemical system were identified: i) The in-series microbial-electrochemical defluorination and ii) the electrochemically enabled microbial defluorination of intermediates. These synergies at the material-microbe interfaces surpassed the limitation of microbial defluorination and further turned the biotransformation end products into less fluorinated products, which could bProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaSynergistic material-microbe interface toward deeper anaerobic defluorination.PMC11295042ER20-1541R01 ES032668R01ES032668Rodrigues RChe SMen YXie YGuan XLiu CYu YfalseSynergistic material-microbe interface toward deeper anaerobic defluorination.Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), particularly the perfluorinated ones, are recalcitrant to biodegradation. By integrating an enrichment culture of reductive defluorination with biocompatible electrodes for the electrochemical process, a deeper defluorination of a C₆-perfluorinated unsaturated PFAS was achieved compared to the biological or electrochemical system alone. Two synergies in the bioelectrochemical system were identified: i) The in-series microbial-electrochemical defluorination and ii) the electrochemically enabled microbial defluorination of intermediates. These synergies at the material-microbe interfaces surpassed the limitation of microbial defluorination and further turned the biotransformation end products into less fluorinated products, which could b2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Jul2025-04-03T23:36:43.421Z2025-04-03T23:36:43.421ZS-EPMC112950423904268310.1073/pnas.2400525121