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Microbial and enzymatic degradation of PCBs from e-waste-contaminated sites: a review

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Abstract

Electronic waste is termed as e-waste and on recycling it produces environmental pollution. Among these e-waste pollutants, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are significantly important due to ubiquitous, organic in nature and serious health and environmental hazards. PCBs are used in different electrical equipment such as in transformers and capacitors for the purposes of exchange of heat and hydraulic fluids. Bioremediation is a reassuring technology for the elimination of the PCBs from the environment. In spite of their chemical stability, there are several microbes which can bio-transform or mineralize the PCBs aerobically or anaerobically. In this review paper, our objective was to summarize the information regarding PCB-degrading enzymes and microbes. The review suggested that the most proficient PCB degraders during anaerobic condition are Dehalobacter, Dehalococcoides, and Desulfitobacterium and in aerobic condition are Burkholderia, Achromobacter, Comamonas, Ralstonia, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and Alcaligenes etc., showing the broadest substrate among bacterial strains. Enzymes found in soil such as dehydrogenases and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) esterases have the capability to breakdown PCBs. Biphenyl upper pathway involves four enzymes: dehydrogenase (bphB), multicomponent dioxygenase (bphA, E, F, and G), second dioxygenase (bphC), hydrolase, and (bphD). Biphenyl dioxygenase is considered as the foremost enzyme used for aerobic degradation of PCBs in metabolic pathway. It has been proved that several micro-organisms are responsible for the PCB metabolization. The review provides novel strategies for e-waste-contaminated soil management.

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This is a review paper and based on the previous published papers. Table data was generated based on the papers cited and used in the review papers. Figures were redrawn and properly acknowledged.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan NRPU projects 7958 and 7964. Thanks to Pakistan Science Foundation project PSF/Res/CP/C-CUI/Envr (151). Furthermore, thanks are due to Pakistan Academy of Sciences project 3-9/PAS/98 for funding.

Funding

Higher Education Commission of Pakistan NRPU projects 7958 and 7964. Thanks are due to Pakistan Science Foundation project PSF/Res/CP/C-CUI/Envr (151) for providing the funding. Furthermore, thanks are due to Pakistan Academy of Sciences project 3-9/PAS/98 for funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Earth and Environmental Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

    Foqia Khalid, Nadia Jamil & Abdul Qadir

  2. Department of Chemistry, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

    Muhammad Zaffar Hashmi

  3. Pakistan Academy of Science, 3-Constitution Avenue Sector G-5/2, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Zaffar Hashmi

  4. Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Ishtiaq Ali

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  1. Foqia Khalid
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  2. Muhammad Zaffar Hashmi
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  3. Nadia Jamil
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  4. Abdul Qadir
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  5. Muhammad Ishtiaq Ali
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Contributions

Foqia Khalid wrote paper, Muhammad Zaffar Hashmi wrote paper, develop idea, and supervised, Nadia Jamil wrote some parts of paper, Abdul Qadir wrote some parts of paper, Muhammad Ishtiaq Ali revised the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Muhammad Zaffar Hashmi.

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Khalid, F., Hashmi, M.Z., Jamil, N. et al. Microbial and enzymatic degradation of PCBs from e-waste-contaminated sites: a review. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 10474–10487 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11996-2

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