• Enhanced Bio-Electrodegradation of Acetylsalicylic Acid: Optimization, Pathway Elucidation, and Environmental Application

  • Harshavardhan Mohan, Pavithra Muthukumar Sathya, Min-Ju Kim, Bongkyu Kim*, and Byung-Taek Oh*

  • Division of Biotechnology, Advanced Institute of Environment and Bioscience, College of Environmental and Bioresource Sciences, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, Jeonbuk State 54596, Republic of Korea

  • 아세틸살리실산의 향상된 생물전기분해: 최적화, 분해 경로 규명 및 환경적 적용

  • 하샤 발단모한ㆍ무투쿠마르 사티아 파비트라ㆍ김민주ㆍ 김봉규*ㆍ오병택*

  • 전북대학교 생명공학부

  • This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

References
  • 1. Almatouq, A., Babatunde, A. O., Khajah, M., Webster, G., and Alfodari, M. (2020). Microbial community structure of anode electrodes in microbial fuel cells and microbial electrolysis cells. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 34, 101140.
  •  
  • 2. Chinnasamy, C., Perumal, N., Choubey, A., and Rajendran, S. (2023). Recent advancements in MXene-based nanocomposites as photocatalysts for hazardous pollutant degradation - A review. Environmental Research,233, 116459.
  •  
  • 3. Costa, F., Lago, A., Rocha, V., Barros, Ó., Costa, L., Vipotnik, Z., Silva, B., and Tavares, T. (2019). A Review on Biological Processes for Pharmaceuticals Wastes Abatement—A Growing Threat to Modern Society. Environmental Science & Technology, 53(13), 7185-7202.
  •  
  • 4. Idris, M. O., Kim, H.-C., Yaqoob, A. A., and Ibrahim, M. N. M. (2022). Exploring the effectiveness of microbial fuel cell for the degradation of organic pollutants coupled with bio-energy generation. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 52, 102183.
  •  
  • 5. Kong, W., Li, Y., Zhang, Y., and Liu, H. (2023). Enhanced degradation of refractory organics by bioelectrochemical systems: A review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 423, 138675.
  •  
  • 6. Mahgoub, S. A., Qattan, S. Y. A., Salem, S. S., Abdelbasit, H. M., Raafat, M., Ashkan, M. F., Al-Quwaie, D. A., Motwali, E. A., Alqahtani, F. S., and Abd El-Fattah, H. I. (2023). Characterization and Biodegradation of Phenol by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella variicola Strains Isolated from Sewage Sludge and Their Effect on Soybean Seeds Germination. In Molecules (Vol. 28).
  •  
  • 7. Matamoros, V., García, J., and Bayona, J. M. (2008). Organic micropollutant removal in a full-scale surface flow constructed wetland fed with secondary effluent. Water Research, 42(3), 653-660.
  •  
  • 8. Moghiseh, Z., and Rezaee, A. (2021). Removal of aspirin from aqueous solution using electroactive bacteria induced by alternating current. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(20), 25327-25338.
  •  
  • 9. Moghiseh, Z., Rezaee, A., Ghanati, F., and Esrafili, A. (2019). Metabolic activity and pathway study of aspirin biodegradation using a microbial electrochemical system supplied by an alternating current. Chemosphere, 232, 35-44.
  •  
  • 10. Mohan, H., Lim, J.-M., Cho, M., Park, Y.-J., Seralathan, K.-K., and Oh, B.-T. (2020). Remediation of BTEX and Cr(VI) contamination in soil using bioelectrochemical system—an eco-friendly approach. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(1), 837-845.
  •  
  • 11. Mohan, H., Sathya, P. M., Acharya, S., Jeong, H.-J., Lee, G.-M., Park, J.-H., Seralathan, K.-K., and Oh, B.-T. (2024). Harnessing Landfill-Derived Bacillus subtilis (LLS-04) for Bio-electrodegradation of Dibutyl Phthalate: Comprehensive Toxicity Assessment Across Multiple Biological Models. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 136480.
  •  
  • 12. Mohan, H., Yoo, S., Thimmarayan, S., Oh, H. S., Kim, G., Seralathan, K.-K., and Shin, T. (2021). Nickel decorated manganese oxynitride over graphene nanosheets as highly efficient visible light driven photocatalysts for acetylsalicylic acid degradation. Environmental Pollution, 289, 117864.
  •  
  • 13. Muthukumar Sathya, P., Mohan, H., Park, J.-H., Seralathan, K.-K., and Oh, B.-T. (2023). Applied potential assisted biodegradation of amoxicillin (AMX) using bacterial consortium isolated from a waste dump site. Chemosphere, 343, 140230.
  •  
  • 14. Narayanan, M., El-sheekh, M., Ma, Y., Pugazhendhi, A., Natarajan, D., Kandasamy, G., Raja, R., Saravana Kumar, R. M., Kumarasamy, S., Sathiyan, G., Geetha, R., Paulraj, B., Liu, G., and Kandasamy, S. (2022). Current status of microbes involved in the degradation of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) pollutants in the aquatic ecosystem. Environmental Pollution, 300, 118922.
  •  
  • 15. Park, S.-R., Kim, S.-R., Min, E.-K., Oh, B.-C., Jung, Y., Kim, Y. H., & Lee, H.-Y. (2023). Unveiling the potential effects of acetylsalicylic acid: insights into regeneration in endometrial stem cells. Cell Communication and Signaling, 21(1), 323.
  •  
  • 16. Poddar, K., Sarkar, D., Chakraborty, D., Patil, P. B., Maity, S., and Sarkar, A. (2022). Paracetamol biodegradation by Pseudomonas strain PrS10 isolated from pharmaceutical effluents. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 175, 105490.
  •  
  • 17. Rocheleau, H., Al-Harthi, R., and Ouellet, T. (2019). Degradation of salicylic acid by Fusarium graminearum. Fungal Biology, 123(1), 77-86.
  •  
  • 18. Saravanan, A., Kumar, P. S., Hemavathy, R. V., Jeevanantham, S., Harikumar, P., Priyanka, G., and Devakirubai, D. R. A. (2022). A comprehensive review on sources, analysis and toxicity of environmental pollutants and its removal methods from water environment. Science of the Total Environment, 812, 152456.
  •  
  • 19. Sathya, P. M., Mohan, H., Park, J.-H., Seralathan, K.-K., Cho, M., and Oh, B.-T. (2024). Bio-electrochemical degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ): A comprehensive study on effectiveness, degradation pathway, and toxicological assessment. Journal of Environmental Management, 360, 121161.
  •  
  • 20. Sathya, P. M., Mohan, H., Park, J.-H., Seralathan, K.-K., and Oh, B.-T. (2024). Integrated bio-electrochemical approach to Norfloxacin (NFX) degradation: Efficacy, degradation mechanisms, and toxicological insights. Chemosphere,366, 143479.
  •  
  • 21. Sathya, P. M., Mohan, H., Venkatachalam, J., and Seralathan, K.-K. (2023). A hybrid technique for sulfamethoxazole (SFM) removal using Enterobacter hormaechei HaG-7: Bio-electrokinetic degradation, pathway and toxicity. Chemosphere,313, 137485.
  •  
  • 22. Shangguan, J., Yang, N., Zhang, L., Liu, J., Xia, X., and Xu, B. (2025). Employing Chlorella pyrenoidosa in eco-friendly acetylsalicylic acid degradation: Insights from physiology and transcriptomics. Bioresource Technology, 428, 132444.
  •  
  • 23. Tavker, N., and Kumar, N. (2023). Chapter 6 - Bioelectrochemical systems: Understanding the basics and overcoming the challenges. In M. P. Shah, S. Rodriguez-Couto, A. Kumar Nadda & A. Daverey (Eds.), Development in Wastewater Treatment Research and Processes (pp. 79-98): Elsevier.
  •  
  • 24. Wang, F., Xiang, L., Leung, K. S.-Y., Elsner, M., Zhang, Y., Guo, Y., Pan, B., Sun, H., An, T., and Ying, G. (2024). Emerging contaminants: a one health perspective. The Innovation.
  •  
  • 25. Wang, H., Xi, H., Xu, L., Jin, M., Zhao, W., and Liu, H. (2021). Ecotoxicological effects, environmental fate and risks of pharmaceutical and personal care products in the water environment: A review. Science of the Total Environment, 788, 147819.
  •  
  • 26. Wang, H., and Zhou, Q. (2024). Bioelectrochemical systems – A potentially effective technology for mitigating microplastic contamination in wastewater. Journal of Cleaner Production, 450, 141931.
  •  
  • 27. Wang, S., Hadji-Thomas, A., Adekunle, A., and Raghavan, V. (2024). The exploitation of bio-electrochemical system and microplastics removal: Possibilities and perspectives. Science of the Total Environment, 172737.
  •  

This Article

  • 2025; 30(6): 109-117

    Published on Dec 31, 2025

  • 10.7857/JSGE.2025.30.6.109
  • Received on Nov 27, 2025
  • Revised on Dec 12, 2025
  • Accepted on Dec 23, 2025

Correspondence to

  • Bongkyu Kim, and Byung-Taek Oh

  • Division of Biotechnology, Advanced Institute of Environment and Bioscience, College of Environmental and Bioresource Sciences, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, Jeonbuk State 54596, Republic of Korea

  • E-mail: bkim@jbnu.ac.kr, btoh@jbnu.ac.kr