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3857384 
Journal Article 
Impact of 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol aerobic biotransformation on a sediment microbial community 
Zhang, S; Merino, N; Wang, N; Ruan, T; Lu, X 
2017 
Science of the Total Environment
ISSN: 0048-9697
EISSN: 1879-1026 
Elsevier B.V. 
575 
1361-1368 
English 
Sediment microbial communities are responsible for many chemical biotransformation processes in the aquatic environment and play a critical role in various ecosystems and biogeochemical cycling. However, the impact of polyfluoroalkyl substances on sediment microbial communities remains unclear. These substances are increasingly being used in consumer and industrial products to replace environmentally persistent perfluoroalkyl substances. In this study, we investigated the effects of low (5mg/L) and high (15mg/L) doses of 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol [6:2 FTOH, F(CF2)6CH2CH2OH] on the structure of a sediment microbial community. 6:2 FTOH biotransformation was rapid in the sediment mixture with a half-life <3days, regardless of the initial doses. After 28days, major products produced in the high dose condition included 28mol% 5:2 sFTOH [F(CF2)5CH(OH)CH3], 9.6mol% 5:3 Acid [F(CF2)5CH2CH2COOH] and 11mol% PFHxA [F(CF2)5COOH], while 73mol% 5:2 sFTOH, 23mol% 5:3 Acid and 26mol% PFHxA were observed in the low dose condition. In the original (control) sediment without 6:2 FTOH dosing, Proteobacteria was the predominant microorganism (18%), followed by Chloroflexi (14%), Verrucomicrobia (13%), Firmicutes (3.4%), Bacterioidetes (2.4%), Actinobacteria (1.7%) and Planctomycetes (1.3%). The presence of 6:2 FTOH and the accumulation of transient transformation products in the sediment exerted selection pressure on the microbial taxonomic distribution and diversity. Our observations indicate that potential 6:2 FTOH degraders and tolerant strains, such as Dokdonella spp., Thauera spp., Albidovulum spp. and Caldanaerovirga spp., existed in the sediment mixture and began to dominate over time. This suggests that these genera might have higher tolerance towards elevated 6:2 FTOH and its transformation products. These findings on the characterization of sediment microbial community stability and dynamics will help predict changes in response to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and also help identify robust microbial strains to degrade polyfluoroalkyl substances in the environment. 
Bacteria/classification/metabolism; Biotransformation; Geologic Sediments/microbiology; Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated/chemistry; Water Microbiology; 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing; Microbial community analysis; Microcosms; Polyfluoroalkyl substances; Proteobacteria 
PFAS
• 5:3 acid
     Literature Search
          Pubmed
          WOS
     Screening Results
          Excluded/Not on Topic
• Additional PFAS (formerly XAgency)
• Expanded PFAS SEM (formerly PFAS 430)
     Litsearch: September 2019
          PubMed
     Not prioritized for screening
     3:2 Fluorotelomer alcohol
• FtOH 6:2
     Screening Results
          Excluded/Not on Topic
• ^Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
     PFHxA (307-24-4)
          Literature Search
               Pubmed
               WOS
     FtOH 6:2 (647-42-7)
          Literature Search
               Pubmed
               WOS
     5:3 acid (914637-49-3)
          Literature Search
               Pubmed
               WOS
• PFAS 150
     Literature Search Update December 2020
          PubMed
     Literature Search August 2019
          PubMed
     Not prioritized for screening
     2H,2H,3H,3H-Perfluorooctanoic acid
     7:3 Fluorotelomer alcohol
     8:2 Fluorotelomer alcohol
• PFAS Universe
     Data Source
          Web of Science
          Pubmed
     2-(Perfluorohexyl)ethanol
     2H,2H,3H,3H-Perfluorooctanoic acid
     Perfluorohexanoate
     Perfluorohexanoic acid
     Perfluorohexanoyl fluoride
• PFBA
     Protocol References
• PFHxA
     Scopus: April 2021
     HAWC
• PFNA
     Litsearch Update 2017-2018
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          Toxline