A novel engineered biofilm catalyst with bacterial cell surface-anchored laccase for efficient biodegradation of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)

A novel biofilm catalyst with cell surface-anchored laccase was developed for EDCs degradation. • The novel biofilm catalysts efficiently degrade estrone, bisphenol A, and 2,4-dichlorophenol. • The degradation efficiency of EDCs using the biofilm catalysts in 30 min were 81.7–93.2%. • The pH stability, thermal stability, and catalysis reusability of biofilm catalysts were improved. • The developed biofilm catalysts are efficient for EDCs biodegradation in wastewater treatment. 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. Download: Download high-res image (158KB) Download: Download full-size image