Surfactants: toxicity, remediation and green surfactants

Removal efficiency of anionic surfactants from water during UVC photolysis and advanced oxidation process in H2O2/UVC system

“…For example, surfactants may cause acute and chronic effects on sensitive organisms, such as crustaceans and fi sh (Roberts andMarshall 1995, Ferrara et al 2005). Moreover, they affect the growth, motility and photosynthetic ability of algae (Rebello et al 2014). The presence of high concentrations of surfactants in biologic stations of WWTP inhibits aerobic microorganisms, is toxic to anaerobic microorganisms, and produces foams, which leads to the perturbation of treatment process (Aloui et al 2009, Bozkurt andSanin 2014).…”

Optimization Techniques and Development of Neural Models Applied in Biosurfactant Production by <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> Using Alternative Substrates

“…Biosurfactants are amphiphilic compounds produced mainly by aerobic microorganisms, such as bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi [1], with wide use in detergents, laundry formulations, household cleaning products, cosmetics, herbicides, or pesticides, besides in food, pharmaceutical, textile, paper and petroleum industries, among others [2] [3]. Bacillus species produce a broad spectrum of lipopeptide biosurfactants.…”

Microbiotechnology Based Surfactants and Their Applications

“…They can be found in detergents, laundry formulations, household cleaning products, cosmetics, herbicides, or pesticides, and are also used in bioremediation, agriculture, food, pharmaceutical, textile, paper, or petroleum industries, among others (Geys et al, 2014;Rebello et al, 2014). Surfactants are amphiphilic molecules that, due to their structure, tend to accumulate at the interfaces between fluid phases with different polarities (e.g., oil-water or air-water), reducing surface and interfacial tensions .…”

“…Surfactants are amphiphilic molecules that, due to their structure, tend to accumulate at the interfaces between fluid phases with different polarities (e.g., oil-water or air-water), reducing surface and interfacial tensions . Most of the surfactants currently used are chemically synthesized from petrochemical resources and are only partially biodegradable, causing detrimental effects on the environment (Vaz et al, 2012;Rebello et al, 2014).…”

“…Surfactants are amphiphilic molecules that, due to their structure, tend to accumulate at the interfaces between fluid phases with different polarities (e.g., oil-water or air-water), reducing surface and interfacial tensions . Most of the surfactants currently used are chemically synthesized from petrochemical resources and are only partially biodegradable, causing detrimental effects on the environment (Vaz et al, 2012;Rebello et al, 2014).Nowadays, due to the increasing environmental awareness, the demand for surfactants obtained from bio-based resources is increasing. Biosurfactants, surface-active compounds synthesized by a variety of microorganisms, are attracting a pronounced interest owing to their potential advantages over their chemical counterparts, namely they exhibit a similar or better performance and have less impact on the environment than conventional surfactants, due to their lower toxicity and higher biodegradability.…”