{
  "abstract": "Fluorotelomer carboxylic acids (FTCAs) are important precursors of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) in wastewater and biosolids, yet their redox-dependent biotransformation remains poorly understood. We investigated 5:3 FTCA biotransformation in microcosms inoculated with activated sludge and anaerobic digester sludge under aerobic, nitrate-reducing, sulfate-reducing, and methanogenic conditions. After correction for abiotic losses, the pseudo-first-order removal rate was 0.074 d-1 under aerobic conditions, over an order of magnitude higher than under nitrate-reducing (0.0045 d-1) and methanogenic (0.0028 d-1) conditions; sulfate-reducing conditions showed minimal removal. Nontarget Nano-ESI-HRMS analysis further revealed ultrashort-chain PFCAs, including PFPrA, and previously unreported intermediates, including keto-5:3 FTCA and 3-F-4:3 FTCA. A bifurcated FTCA biotransformation framework was unveiled, initiated by Cα-centered hydroxylation and Cβ-centered enoyl-hydration. Hydroxylation promoted iterative CF2 moiety removal and progressive chain shortening, accounting for nearly 95% of measured products and 72.8% of fluoride release under aerobic conditions, whereas enoyl-hydration dominated (>60%) under nitrate reduction and favored PFCA formation. These findings provide quantitative and mechanistic evidence for competing FTCA biotransformation routes in wastewater microbiomes and highlight redox control as a critical lever for steering PFAS fate toward either PFCA accumulation or progressive defluorination.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey07102, United States.",
    "Department of Geology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia30602, United States.",
    "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, Georgia30605, United States."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Boyuan Su"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hao Chen",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8090-8593"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "John Washington"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mengyan Li",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7664-4836"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2tghaj3gvmcdz.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1021/acs.est.6c04089",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13648231",
  "id": "2tghaj3gvmcdz",
  "issns": [
    "0013-936X",
    "1520-5851"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42917009",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2304|Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214015283",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13648231?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13648231",
  "pmid": "42917009",
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2tghaj3gvmcdz.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:36Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42917009",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42917009"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2304|Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research",
      "subfield": "environmental"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Bifurcated Fluorotelomer Carboxylic Acid Biotransformation: Enoyl-Hydration versus Hydroxylation Regulated by Redox Conditions.",
  "title_text": "Bifurcated Fluorotelomer Carboxylic Acid Biotransformation: Enoyl-Hydration versus Hydroxylation Regulated by Redox Conditions.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:36Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2tghaj3gvmcdz",
  "venue": "Environmental science & technology",
  "versions": []
}