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FACTORS CONTROLLING THE RATE OF PERFLUOROOCTANOIC ACID DEGRADATION IN LACCASE-MEDIATOR SYSTEMS: THE IMPACT OF METAL IONS
Luo, Q., Z. Wang, M. Feng, D. Chiang, D. Woodward, S. Liang, J. Lu, and Q. Huang.
Environmental Pollution 224:649-657(2017)

Researchers investigated the factors that regulated the degradation of PFOA in laccase-catalyzed oxidative humification reactions with 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT) as a mediator. The metal ions contained in the reaction solution appeared to have a strong impact on PFOA degradation. Differential UV-Vis spectrometry revealed that Cu2+ can complex with PFOA, which plays an essential role to enable PFOA degradation, likely by bridging the negatively charged PFOA and laccase, so that the free radicals of HBT that are released from laccase can reach and react with PFOA. Similarly, Fe3+ also enabled PFOA degradation in the laccase-HBT reaction system. The structures of fluoride and partially fluorinated compounds detected as PFOA degradation products suggest reaction pathways involving free-radical initiated decarboxylation, rearrangement, and cross-coupling. See additional information on this work in Chapter 4 of Qi Luo's dissertation at https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/luo_qi_201512_phd.pdf.



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