Sarubbo L., Luna J., Rufino R., 2015, Application of a Biosurfactant Produced in Low-cost Substrates in the Removal of Hydrophobic Contaminants, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 43, 295-300.
This work describes the environmental application of a biosurfactant produced from Pseudomonas sp. cultivated in a mineral medium formulated with low-cost substrates. Fermentations were conducted in the mineral medium supplemented with 3 % corn steep liquor and 3 % molasses at 28 °C during 144 h under 200 rpm. The medium surface tension was reduced to 29 mN/m. A Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC) of 0.5 % was obtained from the isolated biosurfactant. The application of the biosurfactant demonstrated an ability to remove 80.0 % of motor oil adsorbed on beaker surfaces. Stone washing tests showed 48.0 % removal at 0.5 % biosurfactant concentration and testing for oil removal in soil results showed around 63.0 % for the removal of motor oil adsorbed on fresh sand. The results obtained with the biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas sp., under the conditions tested above show the promising properties of this biomolecule for use in bioremediation of hydrophobic compounds in soils and waters.
