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Definition of Biosurfactant

Biosurfactants are surface-active biomolecules produced by microorganisms that have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions, allowing them to decrease surface tension at interfaces. They are nontoxic and biodegradable. Common types include glycolipids like rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, and trehalolipids, as well as lipopeptides and lipoproteins. Biosurfactants are used in industries like petroleum and mining due to their ability to emulsify hydrocarbons and increase the availability of hydrocarbon contaminants for microbial degradation.

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118 views

Definition of Biosurfactant

Biosurfactants are surface-active biomolecules produced by microorganisms that have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions, allowing them to decrease surface tension at interfaces. They are nontoxic and biodegradable. Common types include glycolipids like rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, and trehalolipids, as well as lipopeptides and lipoproteins. Biosurfactants are used in industries like petroleum and mining due to their ability to emulsify hydrocarbons and increase the availability of hydrocarbon contaminants for microbial degradation.

Uploaded by

Sania Shehzadi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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BioSurfactant

Definition of BioSurfactant:
Biosurfactants can be defined as
“the surface-active biomolecules produced by microorganisms with wide-range of
applications.”

Explanation:
Biosurfactants are surface-active substances synthesised by living cells. They are
nontoxic biomolecules that are biodegradable. Biosurfactants enhance the
emulsification of hydrocarbons, have the potential to solubilise hydrocarbon
contaminants and increase their availability for microbial degradation.
Biosurfactants possess both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions causing them to
aggregate at interfaces between fluids with different polarities such as hydrocarbons
and water. Hence, decrease interfacial surface tension.
 Why they Used?
Due to their unique properties like specificity, low toxicity and relative ease of
preparation, these surface-active biomolecules have attracted wide interest. Due to
their unique functional properties, biosurfactants were used in several industries
including organic chemicals, petroleum, petrochemicals, mining, metallurgy. They
can be used as emulsifiers as well as demulsifiers, wetting agents, foaming agents,
spreading agents, functional food ingredients and detergents.

 Types Of Biosurfactant
Biosurfactants are generally categorized by their microbial origin and chemical
composition as following.
1. Glycolipid:
They are carbohydrates linked to long-chain aliphatic acids. Biosurfactants are
majorly glycolipids. Among the glycolipids, the best known are rhamnolipids,
trehalolipids and sophorolipids.
♦Rhamnolipids: Rhamnolipids are glycolipids. It is principal glycolipid produced by
P. aeruginosa
♦Trehalolipids: These are associated with most species of Mycobacterium. They
lowered the surface and interfacial tension respectively.
♦Sophorolipids: These are glycolipids which are produced by yeasts
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Fig: Rhamnolipid from pseudomonas

2. Lipopeptides and lipoproteins:


These consist of a lipid attached to a polypeptide chain. Several biosurfactants
have shown antimicrobial action against various bacteria, algae, fungi and viruses.
3. Surfactin:
The cyclic lipopeptide surfactin are one of the most powerful biosurfactants composed
of a seven amino-acid ring structure coupled to a fatty-acid chain via lactone linkage.
They found that the surfactin are able to reduce the surface tension and interfacial
tension of water.

Action of BioSurfactant:
Biosurfactant tend to interact with the phase boundry between two phases in
heterogenous system.
They diffuse in water and adsorb at interphase between air and water.
● Like soaps they form micelle.
 In natural conditions, the organic molecule from aqeous phase tend to immobilize at
solid surface and form the conditioning film.

Properties Of Biosurfactant:
Θ Environmentally friendly nature
Θ Possibility of large-scale production
Θ Performance under extreme conditions
Θ Potential applications in environmental protection.
Θ Surfactant helps in reducing surface tension and the interfacial tension.

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