Chinese scientists have engineered a groundbreaking bacteria strain capable of breaking down five major pollutants found in industrial wastewater. This innovation could be a game-changer for environmental cleanup efforts.
The research team, hailing from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, used synthetic biology to equip a single bacterium with five artificial degradation pathways. This means the engineered bacteria can simultaneously degrade biphenyl, phenol, naphthalene, dibenzofuran, and toluene—all common harmful pollutants.
“Our engineered bacterium shows remarkable efficiency in degrading complex pollutants,” said Dai Junbiao, a corresponding author of the study and guest researcher at SIAT. “Within 48 hours, it removed over 60% of all five target pollutants, completely degrading biphenyl and achieving near 90% degradation rates for compounds like toluene and dibenzofuran.”
Industrial wastewater, especially from chemical plants and oil-and-gas extraction facilities, is notoriously difficult to treat due to its complex mix of contaminants. While natural microbes can tackle some pollutants, they are limited to one or two types. This new bacteria strain overcomes that limitation, offering a potential solution for cleaning up polluted water more effectively.
The implications are significant. This engineered bacterium could be used for oil spill remediation, restoring industrial sites, and even breaking down microplastics, paving the way for a cleaner environment.
