Exploring bisphenol S removal mechanism with multi-enzymes extracted from waste sludge and reed sediment

4,4′-Sulfonyl-diphenol (BPS), as a widespread environmental hormone-like micropollutant, is difficult to be degraded in the environment. In this study, the removal of BPS with multi-enzymes extracted from waste sludge and reed sediment was studied at 298 K, 310 K, and 328 K. Results show that BPS could be removed efficiently and was time–temperature dependent, which could involve enzymolysis and bio-flocculation. The mechanism and pathways of the enzymolysis were identified with ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Polymerization of BPS with enzymolysis further improved the removal by bio-flocculation due to the production of BPS oligomers. Furthermore, the interaction mechanism between BPS and multi-enzyme was explored through a series of spectroscopic experiments. Results show that more loose skeletal structure of the multi-enzymes and more hydrophobic microenvironment of the amino acid residues are responsible for the removal of BPS. This research not only provided a method for refractory micropollutants removal but also a way for the utilization of waste sludge and reed sediment.