Biosurfactants Production and Applications

Biosurfactants Production and Applications

• Biosurfactants are organic, amphiphilic compounds that lower surface tension.
• They can act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, and foaming agents.
• Biosurfactants are surface-active biomolecules excreted by microbes.
• They have both hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (water-hating) regions.
• The hydrophilic head interacts with water, while the hydrophobic tail interacts with hydrophobic substances.

Biosurfactant Structure

• A surfactant molecule has a distinct structure with a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail.
• The hydrophilic head is attracted to water and forms a shell around a hydrophobic substance.
• This process stabilizes the substance and prevents it from clumping.
• The hydrophobic tails of several surfactant molecules surround the oil droplet and thus stabilize the emulsion.

Biosurfactant Properties

• Biosurfactants have surface and interfacial activity.
• They demonstrate tolerance to temperature, pH and ions.
• They are biodegradable.
• They exhibit low toxicity.
• They are biocompatible and digestible.

Biosurfactant Classification

• Biosurfactants are classified based on their chemical structure and microbial origin.
• Examples of classes include: glycolipids (rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, trehalolipids), phospholipids, polymeric biosurfactants (lipotetides or surfactants).

Biosurfactant Producers

• Acinetobacter sp
• Bacillus sp
• Candida antarctica
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Biosurfactant Applications in the Oil Industry

• Specific bacteria like Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis JF-2, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Torulopsis bombicola can utilize crude oil and hydrocarbons as sole carbon sources.
• This process can be used for oil spill clean-ups.

Biosurfactants in Degradation Processes

• Pseudomonas species are used to degrade aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons from crude oil in laboratory conditions.
• Degradation rates range from 85% to 97%.

Application of Biosurfactants in Agriculture

• Fengycins are biosurfactants that show antifungal activity.
• They could be used in biocontrol of plant diseases

Use of Fungi in Bioremediation

• Candida can break down formaldehyde and Gibeberella break down cyanide.
• Slurry-phase bioremediation is used for small amounts of contaminated soil.
• Composting is used to degrade household wastes

Degradation of Organopollutants

• Phanerochaete chrysosporium white rot fungi break down pollutants by adding —OH groups.
• Hydroxylation makes the compound more polar.

Advantages of Bioremediation

• Bioremediation is a natural process, making it generally more acceptable to the public.
• It can completely destroy contaminants.
• It is possible to target pollutants without transferring them to another medium.
• It can often be performed on-site without major disruption.
• It can be cheaper than other technologies.

Disadvantages of Bioremediation

• Bioremediation is limited to compounds that are biodegradable.
• The secondary biodegradation products might be toxic or persistent.
• Biological processes are often specific to microbes and may need suitable environmental conditions.
• Extrapolating from lab/pilot studies to full-scale field operations can be difficult.
• It often takes longer than chemical methods.