Bacterial flavins-mediated electron transfer and its effects on anaerobic biotransformation of environmental pollutants: a review

Abstract:

Redox mediators can accelerate anaerobic biotransformation of toxic environmental pollutants. Flavins are the redox mediators synthesized and secreted by bacteria. Their application can effectively avoid the problems of high cost and secondary pollution caused by exogenous mediators. Therefore, they have attracted wide attention. Many studies have shown that the trace amount of flavins synthesized by bacteria can not only be used as coenzyme factors of flavin proteins to participate in the anaerobic biotransformation of azo dyes, chromates and nitroaromatics, but also be secreted to extracellularly transfer electrons to solid electron acceptors such as iron minerals and electrodes for bioremediation. According to the functional roles of flavins, this paper reviews their synthesis and secretion, flavins mediated-intracellular and extracellular electron transfer, and their effects on anaerobic biotransformation of environmental pollutants, so as to promote their application in the treatment of environmental pollutants.