A novel engineered biofilm catalyst with bacterial cell surface-anchored laccase for efficient biodegradation of...

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are considered a highly heterogeneous and persistent class. However, the biodegradation of such compounds is limited by poor stability, low substrate mass transfer efficiency, and low reusability. This study explores a novel engineered biofilm catalyst that integrates bacterial cell-surface display to efficiently degrade EDCs. Under the optimized catalytic conditions, the degradation efficiency of estrone (E1), bisphenol A (BPA), and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) reached 93.2%, 91.8%, and 81.7%, respectively, within 30 min. Compared to the surface-displayed laccase whole cell catalyst, the catalytic efficiency of the surface-displayed laccase biofilm increased by 22.5%, 15.8%, and 23.7%. The biofilm catalyst showed excellent stability, maintaining over 40% activity across a pH range of 3-7, 97% activity at 60 °C, and retaining 50% efficiency after 7 cycles. These findings demonstrate that the biofilm catalyst is an effective approach to enhancing degradation efficiency, providing a scalable, environmentally benign strategy for advanced wastewater treatment.