Abstract
The biosurfactants have a molecular structure with hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups that exhibit properties such as adsorption, formation of micelles, emulsion formation, detergency and solubility, all related to the ability to reduce surface tension by these molecules.The discovery of new biosurfactants, development of new fermentation and recovery processes and the use of cheap raw materials (specifically the use of agro-industry wastes as carbon sources) will allow that more inexpensive biosurfactants can be available for remediation process. The main objective of this study was to use different conservation methods for the biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa UCP0992. The biopolymer produced was subjected to various preservation methods: tyndalization, flowing steam plus potassium sorbate and only the sorbate. These methods served to evaluate the maintenance of biosurfactant activities against the different storage conditions. The main properties of the biopolymer as surface tension, emulsification activity and motor oil dispersion, were tested over 120 days, to ascertain the preservation method most suitable for the product. Extreme environmental conditions such as different pH, salt concentrations and temperature were also evaluated. The results showed that the biosurfactant maintained its tensoactive properties during 120 days at all conditions tested. Positive results were observed mainly for the dispersion of the engine oil by the biosurfactant stored with sorbate only, with values above 100% dispersion at the beginning of the experiment and 70% after 120 days. Given the results, it can be seen that the biosurfactant produced no change in its activities, even when submitted to different storage conditions, which makes it very promising for future use in bioremediation processes impacted by crude oil or oil environments.
