Several toxic substances have been introduced by humans and are of global concern now. These compounds are hazardous to the environment and human health. With the concern of problems associated with conventional methods to degrade, reduce, or remove these substances, interest in alternative approaches increased in the recent past. Among them, microorganisms and their secreting chemicals have proven a unique role in the degradation and detoxification of pollutants in soil, air, and water. Biosurfactants are surface-active mediators produced by biological systems, mainly by microorganisms. In the sense of bioremediation, they integrate biological processes to degrade, remove, or transform these compounds to less harmful forms of contaminants. Microorganisms contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic fractions in the composite. According to the type of microorganism, a composite of bioemulsifiers varies. The diversity of biosurfactants makes them an attractive group and has important key roles in biotechnological applications in the way of pharmaceuticals, biodegradation of pollutants, and enhanced oil recovery. Industrial application and eco-friendly use of microbial surfactants have been shown promising mainly due to their biodegradation efficacy, resulting in compounds with low toxicity and high solubility. However, the associated behavior and mode of action of biosurfactants in the bioremediation process have to be further investigated. The current chapter is to entitle the potential applications of biosurfactants as a strategy for remediation.

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Biosurfactant as a Potential Strategy for Remediation

  • W. G. Madusha Lakmali,
  • A. D. Sarangi N. P. Athukorala,
  • E. Sanduni M. Edirisinghe,
  • M. H. Kasuni T. Rupasinghe

摘要

Several toxic substances have been introduced by humans and are of global concern now. These compounds are hazardous to the environment and human health. With the concern of problems associated with conventional methods to degrade, reduce, or remove these substances, interest in alternative approaches increased in the recent past. Among them, microorganisms and their secreting chemicals have proven a unique role in the degradation and detoxification of pollutants in soil, air, and water. Biosurfactants are surface-active mediators produced by biological systems, mainly by microorganisms. In the sense of bioremediation, they integrate biological processes to degrade, remove, or transform these compounds to less harmful forms of contaminants. Microorganisms contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic fractions in the composite. According to the type of microorganism, a composite of bioemulsifiers varies. The diversity of biosurfactants makes them an attractive group and has important key roles in biotechnological applications in the way of pharmaceuticals, biodegradation of pollutants, and enhanced oil recovery. Industrial application and eco-friendly use of microbial surfactants have been shown promising mainly due to their biodegradation efficacy, resulting in compounds with low toxicity and high solubility. However, the associated behavior and mode of action of biosurfactants in the bioremediation process have to be further investigated. The current chapter is to entitle the potential applications of biosurfactants as a strategy for remediation.