Biodegradation of bisphenol A with diverse microorganisms from river sediment

•Six intermediates depict the metabolic pathways and the detoxification of BPA.•The novel BPA-degrading activity of Pseudomonas knackmussii is demonstrated.•The mixture of isolated strains enhances the BPA-degradation kinetics.•Microbial diversity is important for fast decomposition of the pollutant. The wide distribution of bisphenol A (BPA) in the environment is problematic because of its endocrine-disrupting characteristics and toxicity. Developing cost-effective remediation methods for wide implementation is crucial. Therefore, this study investigated the BPA biodegradation ability of various microorganisms from river sediment. An acclimated microcosm completely degraded 10mgL−1 BPA within 28h and transformed the contaminant into several metabolic intermediates. During the degradation process, the microbial compositions fluctuated and the final, predominant microorganisms were Pseudomonas knackmussii and Methylomonas clara. From the original river sediment, we isolated four distinct strains, which deplete the BPA over 7–9 days. They were all genetically similar to P. knackmussii. The degradation ability of mixed strains was higher than that of single strain but was far less than that of the microbial consortium. The novel BPA degradation ability of P. knackmussii and its role in the decomposing microcosm were first demonstrated. Our results revealed that microbial diversity plays a crucial role in pollutant decomposition.