Microbial Enzymatic Role on Biomimetic Nanomaterial Surfaces for Organic Pollutant Degradation

Aquatic reservoirs are currently threatened by multiple anthropogenic activities such as chemical pollution, resource extraction, oceanic transport, and so on. The presence of an ever- increasing list of contaminants or emerging pollutants is the most serious challenge in the water environment. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are recognized as one of the emerging contaminants of high concern due to their extensive dispersion and long-term persistence. PAHs are primarily found in crude oil, invade the intertidal zones of the marine ecosystem harming lives right from microplankton to sea mammals. While the currently used conventional techniques possess many advantages, they have inherent limitations, including poor efficiency and waste disposal challenges. Comparatively, microbial remediation is a promising technology because of its effectiveness, low cost, and environmental friendliness. Bacteria belonging to Bacillus sp., Aeromonas sp., Pseudomonas sp., Acinetobacter sp., are prominently known for their hydrocarbon degradation ability. However, free microbes are more prone to protozoa predation, the toxicity of oil, and easily washed away preventing their settlement. Therefore, biomimetic surfaces with fascinating properties are currently being exploited for environmental remediation.The multifunctional Graphene oxide (GO) is a two-dimensional allotrope of carbon consisting of hexagonally bonded sp2 hybridized carbon atoms and oxygen-containing groups on the basal plane and the edges. In this study, we aimed to investigate enhancement of microbial enzymatic role on biomimetic surfaces of graphene-based nanocomposites for organic pollutant degradation. This work not only improves our understanding of the fate and interaction of contaminants with such surfaces but also paves the way to design eco-friendly materials for the future.