6:2 Fluorotelomer alcohol biotransformation in an aerobic river sediment system

► A novel aerobic sediment system was developed to study FTOH biodegradation in river sediment. ► 5:3 Acid is a predominant product during 6:2 FTOH aerobic biotransformation in river sediment. ► PFPeA, PFHxA, and PFBA also are formed during 6:2 FTOH biotransformation in river sediment. ► 5:3 Acid was sediment-bound and can only be recovered by post-treatment with NaOH and ENVI-Carb™. ► The 5:3 acid can be further degraded to 4:3 acid in river sediment via one-carbon removal pathways.