This is the second volume of Biosurfactants - Next Generation Biomolecules for Enhanced Biodegradation of Organic Pollutants, which will continue to explore the themes covered in the first volume.
Some microorganisms produce a range of amphipathic molecules, which accumulate at the interfaces between hydrophobic and hydrophilic phases. Their function is to decrease surface and interfacial tensions to form emulsions, enabling the formation of micelles. Biosurfactants differ greatly in their structures and charges, partly as a result of the large variations in their origins. The chemical structure of biosurfactants consists of both a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic moiety. Bio-surfactants have numerous advantages over chemical surfactants with less toxicity, are easily degradable, stable at higher pH and temperature, and result in greater foaming.
Furthermore, they can be synthesized using cheap raw materials such as agro-wastes and industrial waste materials, and may therefore be indirectly contributing to the reduction of other waste materials as well. Many of the indigenous microbial strains (hydrocarbon utilizing native microorganisms) can survive in a hydrocarbon-rich environment by producing surface active biological molecules, which help their survival in those extreme conditions. Bio-surfactants are used in many industries/applications including detergent industry, pharmaceutical, oil recovery, bioremediation, etc. Deployment of bio-surfactant in the bioremediation of hydrocarbon contaminants is gaining attention due to their significant outcomes, such as increasing bioavailability, effective removal efficiency, biocompatibility, reducing the uses of toxic chemicals (chemical surfactant), etc.
The hydrophobic hydrocarbons including crude oil, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, petroleum hydrocarbons, and other types of immiscible environmental pollutants are causing adverse effects to the environment as well as to human health. Many of these hydrocarbons are classified as toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic. The detrimental impact of these hydrocarbons is increased due to the difficulties in removing them from the environment. Conventional remediation methods are based on chemical, physical or biological activity. These remediation processes suffer from many limitations due to the higher cost, slow process, and ineffectiveness. With the development of sustainable methods (eco-friendly approaches), the search for efficient techniques such as integrated bioremediation methods (i.e., Electrokinetic bioremediation, enzyme/biosurfactant mediated bioremediation/biodegradation, functionalized nanomaterials enhanced bioremediation, etc) has increased.
Biosurfactants can enhance the bioavailability of hydrocarbon molecules by micelle formation and increase in their mobility, thus improving hydrocarbon biodegradation. This Research Topic aims to address the challenges related to a series of parameters involved in the biosurfactant enhanced bioremediation of toxic hydrocarbons including the isolation, identification of novel biosurfactant producing microorganisms, and their impact on the removal of different environmental pollutants.
This Research Topic particularly welcomes original research article, and reviews on the following themes:
• Recent advances in screening and identifications of different types of biosurfactants.
• Advanced production methods and their environmental applications.
• Advanced molecular methods for the identification and production of biosurfactants at a large level.
• Recent and advanced fermentation methods for the production of biosurfactants by using cheap raw materials.
• Biosurfactant enhanced bioremediations of different types of hydrocarbons such as crude oil, Polyaromatic hydrocarbons, n-alkanes, aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, asphaltene, naphthene, and other petroleum products.
• Biosurfactants mediated bioremediation of soil and water contaminated with different types of environmental pollutants, xenobiotics compounds.
• Microbial enhanced oil recovery including light and heavy oil using biosurfactants as a dispersant.
• Environmental applications including oil tankers cleaning, heavy metal bioremediations, oil spill bioremediations.
The first volume can be viewed here:
text Please note that all submissions to the Microbiotechnology section need to explore a clear hypothesis to be considered for review and have a microbial focus.