Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Bioremediation

Bioremediation

Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Sulfide-oxidizing potential and hypersalinity tolerance strategies in salt-crust covered coastal microbial mats.

The ISME journal·2026

Same author

Removal of hexavalent chromium by facultative anaerobic strains <i>Bacillus</i> sp. S9 and <i>Enterobacter</i> sp. Z11 from a mining site microbial mat.

3 Biotech·2026

Same author

Multigram-scale stereoselective synthesis of neurosteroid isomers by gut microbial isolates using plant biomass-derived medium.

Trends in biotechnology·2026

Same author

Degradation of acrylamide in oilfield produced water by microbial mat microorganisms.

3 Biotech·2026

Same author

Diversity of estrogen biodegradation pathways and application in environmental bioremediation.

Frontiers in microbiology·2025

Same author

Removal of hexavalent chromium by a microbial mat from a mining site under anaerobic conditions.

Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 7, 2025

Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor

Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor

Published on: October 15, 2015

Temporal compositional shifts in an activated sludge microbiome during estrone biodegradation.

Sarah AlDhafiri¹, Yin-Ru Chiang², Ashraf M El Nayal¹

¹Environmental Biotechnology Program, Life Sciences Department, College of Graduate Studies, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research International

|January 11, 2022

Summary

Microbial biodegradation removes estrogens in wastewater treatment. This study identified the 4,5-seco pathway and key alphaproteobacterial bacteria responsible for estrone degradation in activated sludge.

Keywords:

Activated sludge Alphaproteobacteria Biodegradation Estrogens Microcosm Wastewater

More Related Videos

Use of a Battery of Chemical and Ecotoxicological Methods for the Assessment of the Efficacy of Wastewater Treatment Processes to Remove Estrogenic Potency

Use of a Battery of Chemical and Ecotoxicological Methods for the Assessment of the Efficacy of Wastewater Treatment Processes to Remove Estrogenic Potency

Published on: September 11, 2016

Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation

Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation

Published on: October 31, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 7, 2025

Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor

Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor

Published on: October 15, 2015

Use of a Battery of Chemical and Ecotoxicological Methods for the Assessment of the Efficacy of Wastewater Treatment Processes to Remove Estrogenic Potency

Use of a Battery of Chemical and Ecotoxicological Methods for the Assessment of the Efficacy of Wastewater Treatment Processes to Remove Estrogenic Potency

Published on: September 11, 2016

Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation

Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation

Published on: October 31, 2019

Area of Science:

Environmental microbiology
Wastewater treatment
Biodegradation pathways

Background:

Microbial biodegradation is crucial for removing estrogens in wastewater.
Existing knowledge on estrogen biodegradation pathways and key microbial degraders remains limited.
Understanding these processes is vital for effective wastewater treatment plant management.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the estrone biodegradation pathway in activated sludge.
To identify the primary estrone-degrading bacteria in a Bahrain wastewater treatment plant.
To investigate the temporal shifts in bacterial communities during estrone biodegradation.

Main Methods:

Activated sludge microcosms were incubated with estrone.
Biodegradation metabolites were analyzed using chemical methods.
Bacterial community composition was assessed using temporal shift analysis and enrichment cultivation.

Main Results:

Over 90% estrone biodegradation occurred within 6 days, forming 4-hydroxyestrone and pyridinestrone acid, indicative of the 4,5-seco pathway.
Significant enrichment of alphaproteobacterial genera Novosphingobium and Sphingoaurantiacus was observed.
The estrone-degrading bacterium Sphingobium estrogenivorans was isolated and identified.

Conclusions:

Estrone degradation in the studied wastewater treatment plant predominantly follows the 4,5-seco aerobic pathway.
Alphaproteobacteria, particularly Novosphingobium, Sphingoaurantiacus, and Sphingobium estrogenivorans, are key mediators of estrone biodegradation.
This research contributes to understanding microbial roles in estrogen removal in wastewater treatment systems.