About

Professor Natalie Cápiro is the Principal Investigator of the Cápiro Research Group at Cornell University. Her research focuses on environmental microbiology, bioremediation, and the fate and transport of groundwater contaminants. She leads a team that investigates microbial processes and their applications to environmental cleanup and management, contributing to the understanding and development of bioremediation strategies for contaminated groundwater. Her work is situated within the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University, where she advances knowledge in environmental microbiology and sustainable remediation techniques.

Research topics

• Environmental chemistry
• Chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Ecology
• Chemical engineering
• Engineering
• Polymer chemistry
• Chromatography
• Biology

Selected publications

• Sorption-Desorption Processes Contributing to Natural Attenuation of Trichloroethene in Porous Media

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Sorption-desorption processes contributing to the natural attenuation of cis-1,2-dichloroethene in porous media

  Journal of Hazardous Materials · 2025-05-05 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Biotransformation of Perfluorooctane Sulfonamide (FOSA) and Microbial Community Dynamics in Aerobic Soils

  ACS ES&T Water · 2025-06-11 · 10 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Despite widespread detection of perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA) in the environment, its potential for biotransformation by native soil microorganisms and the resulting impacts on microbial communities remain poorly understood. This study examined the biotransformation of FOSA over 308 days in microcosms prepared with two soils, a historically per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)-contaminated soil and a PFAS-free agricultural soil. Indigenous microorganisms in both soils were able to biotransform FOSA with half-lives ranging from 203.0 to 335.1 days. Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) was the primary biotransformation product, with a molar yield of 21.6 ± 5.2 mol% in the historically PFAS-contaminated soil and 29.5 ± 3.8 mol% in the initially PFAS-free soil. Microbial community analysis revealed that members of the phyla Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidota, as well as the genus Afipia, exhibited greater tolerance to elevated concentrations of FOSA and/or its biotransformation products. Metagenomic predictions using Tax4Fun2 identified functional genes related to amino acid metabolism, sulfur metabolism, and the two-component system, which may be linked to FOSA exposure and/or its biotransformation. These findings highlight the role of biotransformation processes in shaping the environmental fate of FOSA and PFOS, and offer insights into the capacity of native soil microbial communities to transform FOSA and related perfluorooctane sulfonamide derivatives.

  PublisherDOI

• Sorption-desorption processes contributing to natural attenuation of trichloroethene in porous media

  Journal of Contaminant Hydrology · 2025-06-19 · 2 citations

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  PublisherDOI

• Remediation of groundwater contaminated with perfluoroalkyl acids and chlorinated ethenes using a microbial reductive dechlorination and sorptive material treatment train

  Water Research · 2025-06-10 · 4 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Quantifying biolipid (rhamnolipid) effects on the aggregation behavior of engineered nanoparticles

  Environmental Science Nano · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Rhamnolipids (mono/diRL) govern iron oxide nanoparticle stability in water as a function of particle surface charge, RL type and concentration, and ionic strength, resulting in complex stabilization processes including non-DLVO behavior.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sorption-Desorption Processes Contributing to the Natural Attenuation of Cis-Dichloroethene in Porous Media

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Fate and Transformation of 15 Classes of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF)-Amended Soil Microcosms

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2024-12-10 · 23 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  The environmental fate of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs), especially those synthesized by electrochemical fluorination (ECF) processes, remains largely unknown. This study evaluated the transformation of AFFF-derived ECF-based precursors in aerobic soil microcosms amended with a historically used AFFF formulation (3M Light WaterTM). Fifteen classes of PFAS, including AFFF components and transformation products, were identified or tentatively identified by suspect screening/nontargeted analysis (SSA/NTA) throughout a 308-day incubation. This study demonstrates that AFFF-derived ECF-based precursors serve as sources of perfluoroalkane sulfonamides (FASAs) and perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), which are commonly detected at AFFF-impacted sites. Temporal sampling provided evidence for biotransformation of multiple precursors including tri- or dimethyl ammonio propyl perfluoroalkane sulfonamides. Additionally, the environmental stability (i.e., resistance to transformation) of ECF-based precursors was found to depend upon structural characteristics, including perfluoroalkyl chain length, presence of sulfonamide or carboxamide groups, and functional groups (e.g., a branch of carboxyalkyl group) attached to the nitrogen atoms. These findings provide insights into the transformation pathways of AFFF-derived PFAS and other structurally similar ECF-based PFAS, which will support the management and remediation of PFAS contamination at legacy AFFF-impacted sites.

  PublisherDOI

• Using Network Analysis and Predictive Functional Analysis to Explore the Fluorotelomer Biotransformation Potential of Soil Microbial Communities

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2024-04-19 · 38 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Microbial transformation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including fluorotelomer-derived PFAS, by native microbial communities in the environment has been widely documented. However, few studies have identified the key microorganisms and their roles during the PFAS biotransformation processes. This study was undertaken to gain more insight into the structure and function of soil microbial communities that are relevant to PFAS biotransformation. We collected 16S rRNA gene sequencing data from 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol and 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate biotransformation studies conducted in soil microcosms under various redox conditions. Through co-occurrence network analysis, several genera, including Variovorax, Rhodococcus, and Cupriavidus, were found to likely play important roles in the biotransformation of fluorotelomers. Additionally, a metagenomic prediction approach (PICRUSt2) identified functional genes, including 6-oxocyclohex-1-ene-carbonyl-CoA hydrolase, cyclohexa-1,5-dienecarbonyl-CoA hydratase, and a fluoride-proton antiporter gene, that may be involved in defluorination. This study pioneers the application of these bioinformatics tools in the analysis of PFAS biotransformation-related sequencing data. Our findings serve as a foundational reference for investigating enzymatic mechanisms of microbial defluorination that may facilitate the development of efficient microbial consortia and/or pure microbial strains for PFAS biotransformation.

  PublisherDOI

• Modeling 1-D aqueous film forming foam transport through the vadose zone under realistic site and release conditions

  The Science of The Total Environment · 2024-02-06 · 22 citations

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  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Kurt D. Pennell

  Providence College

  120 shared

• Tyler F. Marcet

  Tufts University

  56 shared

• William G. Rixey

  54 shared

• Neil R. Thomson

  49 shared

• Aldrich Lahvis

  Ecolyse (United States)

  49 shared

• Paul Johnson

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  49 shared

• Carol J. Ptacek

  University of Waterloo

  49 shared

• Matthew J. Thomasson

  University of Hull

  49 shared

Labs

• Cápiro Research GroupPI

Education

• Ph.D.

  Cornell University

• M.S.

  Tufts University

• B.S.

  Auburn University

Awards & honors

• Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Profess…
• SERDP Environmental Restoration Project of the Year 2012
• Eleanor and Mills Bennett Fellowship in Hydrology, Rice Univ…
• NSF Distinguished Sci. & Engr. Fellow of the Alliances for G…