Microbial Surfactants: The Next Generation Multifunctional Biomolecules for Applications in the Petroleum Industry and Its Associated Environmental Remediation

Abstract

Surfactants are a broad category of tensio-active biomolecules with multifunctional properties applications in diverse industrial sectors and processes. Surfactants are produced synthetically and biologically. The biologically derived surfactants (biosurfactants) are produced from microorganisms, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis Candida albicans, and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus as dominant species. Rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, mannosylerithritol lipids, surfactin, and emulsan are well known in terms of their biotechnological applications. Biosurfactants can compete with synthetic surfactants in terms of performance, with established advantages over synthetic ones, including eco-friendliness, biodegradability, low toxicity, and stability over a wide variability of environmental factors. However, at present, synthetic surfactants are a preferred option in different industrial applications because of their availability in commercial quantities, unlike biosurfactants. The usage of synthetic surfactants introduces new species of recalcitrant pollutants into the environment and leads to undesired results when a wrong selection of surfactants is made. Substituting synthetic surfactants with biosurfactants resolves these drawbacks, thus interest has been intensified in biosurfactant applications in a wide range of industries hitherto considered as experimental fields. This review, therefore, intends to offer an overview of diverse applications in which biosurfactants have been found to be useful, with emphases on petroleum biotechnology, environmental remediation, and the agriculture sector. The application of biosurfactants in these settings would lead to industrial growth and environmental sustainability.

Novel Bioformulations Developed from Pseudomonas putida BSP9 and Its Biosurfactant for Growth Promotion of Brassica juncea (L.)

“…Chaprão et al [ 78 ] explained the effect of concentration in a study that reported that the application of more than 40 mg/mL biosurfactant to soil reduced diesel biodegradation efficiency. This was confirmed by Fenibo et al [ 12 ], who concluded that if the optimum concentration of biosurfactant is exceeded, the microbial biomass decreases and the degradation process is also negatively affected. However, there are no previous reports about optimized biosurfactant concentration for direct plant growth promotion under field conditions, hence, the present work is a novel report that extends the knowledge about the biopolymer.…”

“…Members of genus Pseudomonas are among the front runners in this context and are reported to produce cyclic lipopeptide and rhamnolipid (a type of glycolipid) biosurfactants [ 10 , 11 ]. Biosurfactants are biodegradable, biocompatible, durable in a range of temperatures and pH and are non-toxic in nature [ 9 , 12 ]. Apart from these ecofriendly and beneficial properties, it has been reported that biosurfactants produced by PGPR take part in plant growth promotion by helping in swarming motility during root colonization (by PGPR), root differentiation, nutrient acquisition, metal chelation, conferring protection against diseases and phytopathogens and providing tolerance against abiotic stresses [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

Distribution and molecular characterization of biosurfactant-producing bacteria

“…The biosurfactant may be involved in protection of microorganisms against unfavorable environmental conditions. In addition, biosurfactant production is important for survival of the microorganisms to facilitate the attachment and adhesion of microbial cells to natural substrates (Fenibo 2019). The bacterial isolates that gave positive results for primary screening tests were only selected as biosurfactant producers.…”

Biosurfactants: Eco-Friendly and Innovative Biocides against Biocorrosion

“…Generally, the molecular components of the biosurfactant are divided into hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties. The hydrophobic moiety usually consists of saturated or unsaturated long-chain fatty acids, while the hydrophilic moiety is made up of anions, cations, amino acids, or polysaccharides [26,27]. They all show diverse emulsification, interfacial, and surface tension properties.…”