Biosurfactants: Screening, Production and their Applications

Biosurfactants are commonly recognised as biologically derived surface active agents. The most significant microbes have been studied for the production of glycolipid biosurfactants, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida spp. Microbial derived biosurfactants are found commercially superior to chemical derivatives due to their biodegradability, renewability, and good performance under harsh working conditions. It has been found that (isolated) hydrocarbondegrading bacteria produce far more biosurfactants than that predicted from oil spills. This is because all genomes are regulated in lipid metabolism synthesis. The oil and petroleum sector use biosurfactants as an emulsifier for both recovery and removal from contaminated sites. They also play a role in the removal of heavy metals in metallurgy. In this work, we have provided an overview of the screening of microorganisms that produce biosurfactants, production techniques, and variables that affect the production of biosurfactants. Several analytical approaches for crude metabolite processing are also given. Hence, the importance of biosurfactants in environmental cleaning is simply understood from this review.

Keywords: Antiviral, Biodegradability, Biosurfactants, Metallurgical, Petrochemical industry.