Anaerobic degradation of tetrabromobisphenol-A in river sediment

The contamination of the environment with tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA), an endocrine disruptor, is a concern. We examined anaerobic degradation of TBBPA in sediment samples from the Erren River in southern Taiwan. Anaerobic degradation of TBBPA was enhanced with the addition of humic acid (0.5 g L−1), sodium chloride (1 mass/vol%), zero-valent iron (1 g L−1), vitamin B12 (0.025 mg L−1), brij 30 (55 μM), brij 35 (91 μM), rhamnolipid (130 mg L−1), or surfactin (43 mg L−1) but was inhibited by the addition of acetate (30 mM), lactate (20 mM), or pyruvate (20 mM). Sulfate-reducing bacteria, methanogen, and eubacteria are involved in the anaerobic degradation of TBBPA; sulfate-reducing bacteria is a major component of the sediment.