Microbial communities in PFHxSAm biodegradation microcosms. Microbial communities in PFHxSAm-amended sediment microcosms

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread contaminants that pose environmental health risks as they are known to bioaccumulate, have eco-toxicity effects, and are believed to be highly recalcitrant. Here, we conducted microcosm experiments to investigate the biotransformation of perfluorohexane sulfonamido propyl amine (PFHxSAm) by native microbial populations in a pond affected by a PFAS-contaminated groundwater plume. Pond water and sediments were used to construct aerobic laboratory microcosms, which were either left unamended or amended with PFHxSAm. All microcosms were performed in triplicate, and an abiotic control treatment was included. At 4 timepoints, microcosms were sacrificed for analysis of the microbial community composition using Illumina 16S iTag sequencing.