Since defluorination of PFAS molecules cause release of fluoride ions, monitoring of their concentration during microbial cultivation is an important tool to build understanding and potentially enhance bacterial strains that can accomplish such processes. This study analysed fluoride ion concentrations in growth medium ultrafiltrates while simultaneously following accumulation of shortened PFAS species by other analysis methods, allowing the authors to suggest different biodegradation pathways for the two types of perfluorinated acids in the examined bacterial strain that previously had been extracted from contaminated soil.
