Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) has aroused widespread pollution in industrial wastewater. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) was proved powerful in organics degradation and simultaneous resource recovery during wastewater treatment. However, the TBBPA biotransformation potential, pathway and the related molecular mechanism remain poorly understood. In this study, the enhanced degradation and detoxification performance of TBBPA in MFC anode was confirmed, evidenced by the shorter degradation period (2.3 times shorter) and less generation of bisphenol A. UPLC-QTOF-MS analysis verified TBBPA metabolism went through reductive debromination, hydrolytic debromination, oxidative ring cleavage and o-methylation. Accompanied with those biochemical processes, the metabolites underwent dynamic changes. The distinctly decreased abundance and fewer interactions with other functional genera for the potential reductive dehalogenators (Pseudomonas, etc.) possibly led to the suppressed reductive debromination (5.1%) in the closed bioanode. Otherwise, The more abundant potential function bacteria with more collaborated interrelations, including hydrolytic dehalogenators (Acinetobacter, etc.), aromatics degrading bacteria (Geobacter, Holophaga, etc.) and electroactive bacteria (Geobacter, Desulfovibrio, etc.) made great sense to the enhanced hydrolytic debromination and detoxification of TBBPA. This study revealed that MFC anode is beneficial to TBBPA degradation and provides theoretical support for the decomposition and transformation of micro-pollutants in the municipal sewage treatment coupled with MFC process.

四溴双酚A（TBBPA）已引起工业废水的广泛污染。事实证明，微生物燃料电池（MFC）在废水处理过程中能够有效降解有机物并同时回收资源。但是，TBBPA生物转化潜力，途径和相关的分子机制仍然知之甚少。在这项研究中，证实了MFC阳极中TBBPA的降解和解毒性能增强，这是由较短的降解时间（较短的2.3倍）和双酚A的生成所证实的。UPLC-QTOF-MS分析证实，TBBPA的代谢通过还原脱溴，水解脱溴，氧化环裂解和邻-甲基化。伴随着这些生化过程，代谢物发生了动态变化。潜在还原性脱卤剂（假单胞菌等）的丰度明显降低且与其他功能属的相互作用减少，可能导致封闭的生物阳极中还原脱溴作用受到抑制（5.1％）。否则，具有更多协作关系的潜在功能更丰富的细菌，包括水解脱卤剂（不动杆菌等），降解芳烃的细菌（Geobacter，Holophaga等）和电活性细菌（Geobacter，Desulfovibrio）等）对于增强TBBPA的水解脱溴和解毒意义重大。这项研究表明，MFC阳极有利于TBBPA降解，并为结合MFC工艺的城市污水处理中的微污染物的分解和转化提供了理论支持。