In this paper poly (4-methyl vinylpyridinium hydroxide)/SBA-15 composite was prepared as a highly efficient heterogeneous basic catalyst by in situ polymerization method for the first time. It was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, BET, TGA, SEM and back titration using NaOH. This catalyst exhibited the excellent catalytic activities for the Knoevenagel condensation of various aldehydes with ethyl cyanoacetate. Over this catalyst, α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds were obtained in the reasonable yield at 95 o C in 10 -30 min in H2O as a solvent with a 100% selectivity to the condensation products. Catalyst could be easily recycled after the reaction and it could be reused without the significant loss of activity/selectivity performance. No by-product formation, high yields, short reaction times, mild reaction conditions and operational simplicity with reusability of the catalyst were the salient features of the present synthetic protocol. Presence of H2O as a solvent was also recognized as a "green method".

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Biosurfactants are a family of diverse amphipathic molecules that are produced by several microorganisms such as bacteria, molds, and yeasts. These surface active agents have several applications in agriculture, oil processing, food, and pharmaceutical industries. In this research using YMG and YUG culture media, a native yeast strain, HG5, was isolated from honey bee. The oil spread test as a screening method was used to evaluate biosurfactant production by the yeast HG5 isolate. The 5.8s-rDNA analysis confirmed that the isolated yeast was related to Lachancea thermotolerans. We named this strain Lachancea thermotolerans strain BBMCZ7FA20 and its 5.8s-rDNA sequence was deposited in GenBank, NCBI under accession number of KM042082.1. The best precursor of biosurfactant production was canola oil and the sophorolipid amount was measured for 24.2 g/l. The thin layer chromatography and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis showed that the extracted biosurfactant from Lachancea thermotolerans was sophorolipid. In conclusion, this is the first report of sophorolipid production by a native yeast Lachancea thermotolerans BBMCZ7FA20 we isolated from the honey bee gut collected from an apiary farm in Saman, Chaharmahal Bakhtiari province, Iran. We suggested that some cost-effective supplements such as canola oil, sunflower oil, and corn oils could be applied for increasing the sophorolipid production by this native yeast strain. According to several applications of biosurfactants in today world, the production of sophorolipid by Lachancea thermotolerans could be considered as a potential in the current industrial microbiology and modern microbial biotechnology.

The biosurfactants have extensive applications in food and petroleum microbiology. The aims of this research were isolation and characterization of thermo-tolerant biosurfactants from highly producing yeast strains. The Bushnell Hass medium was used for screening the biosurfactant-producing yeasts. Biosurfactant presence was evaluated using oil displacement assay and surface tension test. The best biosurfactant-producing strain was named Candida keroseneae GBME-IAUF-2 and its 5.8s-rDNA sequence was deposited in GenBank, NCBI under the accession number of MT012957.1. The thin layer chromatography and FTIR analysis confirmed that the extracted biosurfactant was sophorolipid with a significant surface activity. The purified sophorolipid decreased the surface tension of water from 72 to 29.1 mN/m. Its maximum emulsification index, E24%, was recorded as 60% and preserved 92.06–97.25% of its original activity at 110–120°C. It also preserved 89.11% and 84.73% of its original activity in pH of 9.3 and 10.5 respectively. It preserved 96.66–100% of its original activity in saline extreme conditions. This is the first report of sophorolipid production by the yeast Candida keroseneae. According to the high thermal, pH and saline stability, the sophorolipid produced by Candida keroseneae GBME-IAUF-2 could be highly recommended for applications in MEOR as well as food industries as an excellent emulsifying agent.