SHAILY MAHENDRA
University of California, Los Angeles

BIODEGRADATION OF EMERGING CONTAMINANTS: POLYFLUORINATED COMPOUNDS AND 1,4-DIOXANE

Abstract

Emerging contaminants are chemicals being increasingly detected in the environment, which are perceived to cause adverse ecological or human health effects, but are not yet regulated.  It is particularly important to evaluate contaminant-microbe interactions because microorganisms can transform contaminants into non-toxic products and serve as sensitive indicators of potential environmental impacts.  1,4-Dioxane, a probable human carcinogen, is typically found as an environmental contaminant in conjunction with groundwater solvent plumes as it is commonly used as a stabilizer for chlorinated solvents.  Poly- and perfluorinated compounds are used in aqueous film-forming foams and products with non-stick coatings, and they are reproductive and developmental toxicants, endocrine disrupters, and potential human carcinogens.  In my laboratory, a variety of bacteria containing specific monooxygenase enzymes were shown to degrade 1,4-dioxane.  Wood-rotting fungi containing peroxidase enzymes transformed fluorotelomer alcohols.  Quantitative data and biochemical pathways generated in this research have facilitated the design of monitoring tools for bioremediation of these contaminants in natural and engineered systems.

SHAILY MAHENDRA is an assistant professor in the UCLA Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.  She received Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley, and post-doctoral fellowship from Rice University.  She recently won National Science Foundation CAREER Award, DuPont Young Professor Award, Hellman Fellowship, Environmental Science & Technology Excellence in Review Award, Poptech Science and Public Leadership Fellowship, and Northrop Grumman Excellence in Teaching Award.  Her research areas are microbial processes in natural and engineered systems, applications of molecular and isotopic tools in environmental microbiology, environmental impacts of nanomaterials, and biodegradation of emerging groundwater contaminants.

For more info: www.chem-eng.utoronto.ca/news.htm

Websites of Interest

• University of Toronto
• Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
• Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry