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Microorganisms able to completely degrade ibuprofen in wastewater discovered

The finding, published in The ISME Journal, opens the door to new and more sustainable methods for the elimination of pharmaceutical waste in wastewater treatment plants. The Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology team is already working on the identification of microorganisms capable of degrading other drugs, such as naproxen and various antibiotics.

A research team from the Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology (CABD) has succeeded in isolating communities of microorganisms capable of completely biodegrading ibuprofen, one of the most common pharmaceutical pollutants in wastewater. This discovery, published in The ISME Journal, not only helps to better understand how microorganisms adapt to contaminated environments, but could also improve water purification processes and reduce the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals.

The problem: drug residues in water

Every day, millions of people around the world consume drugs such as ibuprofen to relieve pain and inflammation. However, after being metabolized by the body, these drugs do not disappear completely: a part of them is evacuated and reaches wastewater, where treatment plants do not always manage to remove them completely. As a result, these residues end up in rivers and soils, affecting biodiversity and contributing to environmental pollution.

Faced with this challenge, the scientific community has sought more efficient ways to degrade these compounds before they reach the natural environment. In this context, the discovery of associations of microorganisms capable of feeding on ibuprofen represents a promising advance.

Microbes to the rescue: how they degrade ibuprofen

In nature, microorganisms live in complex communities where they interact and collaborate to survive in different environments. Inspired by these dynamics, the researchers collected wastewater samples from sewage treatment plants and succeeded in isolating microbial consortia, i.e. groups of microorganisms that work together.

These consortia proved to be able to use ibuprofen as their sole source of carbon and energy, which means that they can completely break down this drug into simpler and less harmful compounds. Throughout the study, the scientific team observed that these communities evolved, modifying the proportions of their components and adapting their genetic material to improve their ability to degrade ibuprofen.

“This discovery not only provides a better understanding of how microorganisms can adapt to the presence of pollutants, but also suggests that these natural processes could be harnessed to improve the disposal of pharmaceutical waste in water treatment plants,” says Inés Canosa, professor of the Microbiology Department at the Universidad Pablo de Olavide and principal investigator of the 'Global regulation of gene expression and metabolism of bacteria of environmental origin' group of the CABD, a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the Universidad Pablo de Olavide and the Junta de Andalucía.



A step towards the development of new environmental solutions

The importance of this finding lies in two fundamental aspects. On the one hand, understanding the evolution of microorganisms in contaminated environments. This study provides key information on how microbial communities can adapt to new food sources, including artificial compounds such as ibuprofen.

Moreover, this research opens the door to more effective solutions for water treatment. “We have identified groups of microorganisms capable of completely eliminating ibuprofen from the environment, in addition to discovering new enzymatic processes involved in its degradation, a fundamental step towards developing more efficient systems for the elimination of pharmaceutical waste, which would contribute to reducing its environmental impact,” highlights Amando Flores, co-IP of the project developed in the research group.
Towards more efficient purification

The results obtained open the door to a deeper understanding of the new routes of degradation of environmental pollutants, as well as the genetic changes that occur in the microbial communities of Nature.

Thus, the success of this study has led the researchers to take up new challenges. One of their next objectives is to apply the same methodology used with ibuprofen to identify microorganisms capable of degrading other contaminating drugs, such as naproxen and various antibiotics.

In addition, the team is exploring the possibility of immobilizing these microbial consortia on solid supports, which would allow them to be applied directly in water treatment plants. This strategy could significantly improve the removal of polluting drugs, offering an innovative and sustainable solution to reduce water pollution.

Reference:
Zaki Saati-Santamaría, Pilar Navarro-Gómez, Juan A Martínez-Mancebo, Maitane Juárez-Mugarza, Amando Flores, Inés Canosa. Genetic and species rearrangements in microbial consortia impact biodegradation potential. The ISME Journal, (2025) https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf014