Surfactant And Biosurfactants Case Study

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2.1 Surfactant and biosurfactant The amphiphilic molecules which is known as surfactants have been used widely in different industries including petroleum, environmental, food, agricultural, bioprocessing, cosmetic, and biological industries. Surfactants contain a hydrophilic part and hydrophobic part which make them capable to reduce surface and interfacial tension of liquids. However, these compounds are chemically synthesized which is mainly petroleum-based and toxic to the environment. These compounds may cause pollution to the environment because of their non-biodegradable properties (Banat et al., 2000; Fakruddin, 2013). Hence, the interest in biosurfactants increased rapidly in recent years as an alternatives to chemical surfactants (Banat et al., 2000; Lang & Wullbrandt, 1999).
Biosurfactants are amphiphilic surface-active compounds made up of hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains which are naturally produced by bacteria, yeast, and fungi (Banat et al., 2010). Bacteria known as the main group of microorganisms that capable to produce biosurfactants (Femi-Ola et al., 2015). According to Mulligan (2009), biosurfactants are environmentally friendly compared to synthetic surfactants.

2.1.1 Properties of biosurfactants
Biosurfactants have the similar properties as synthetic surfactants in their ability to reduce surface …show more content…

(2015), biosurfactants can be as part of the cell membrane of the microorganisms and these compounds also can be produced extracellularly by these microorganisms through fermentation. In addition, biosurfactants are classified based on their chemical structure and microbial origin. The five major classes of biosurfactants include glycolipids, lipopeptides and lipoproteins, phospholipids and fatty acids, polymeric surfactants, and particulate surfactants (Desai & Banat, 1997). Table 2.1 shows the biosurfactants produced by various microorganisms and their importance to different industries (Saharan et al.,

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