Abstract
Contamination by oil and its derivatives causes serious damage to the environment, motivating the development of innovative technologies for the removal of these contaminants, such as the use of biosurfactants. In the present study, the biosurfactant from Candida tropicalis UCP0996 produced in the low cost-medium formulated with molasses, residual frying oil, and corn steep liquor, was characterized and its toxicity, formulation, and application in removal and biodegradation of oil were investigated. The surface tension of the medium was reduced to 30.4 mN/m, yielding 4.11 g/L of isolated biosurfactant after 120 h. Tests under extreme environmental conditions indicated the stability of the biosurfactant. Chemical characterization by thin layer chromatography (TLC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), and gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (CG-MS) revealed the glycolipidic nature of the biosurfactant. The isolated biosurfactant showed no toxicity against the microcrustacean Artemia salina, while the properties of the formulated biosurfactant remained stable during 120 days of storage. The biosurfactant removed 66.18% of motor oil adsorbed in marine stones and dispersed 70.95% of oil in seawater. The biosurfactant was also able to increase by 70% the degradation of motor oil by seawater indigenous microorganisms, showing great potential to be applied as a commercial additive in the bioremediation of oil spills.
Highlights
The release of oil and by-products into the environment is a major cause of global pollution and has become a focus of great concern in both industrialized and developing countries, since oil pollution can have dramatic damaging effects on the environment and to the resident organisms
Studies have reported that this species has the metabolic ability to produce biosurfactants under cultivation on water-immiscible substrates [6]
The lowest surface tension value occurred in the stationary phase, with a reduction from 55 to 30.4 mN/m after 96 h, and the highest biosurfactant yield (4.11 g/L) occurred in the stationary growth phase
Summary
The release of oil and by-products into the environment is a major cause of global pollution and has become a focus of great concern in both industrialized and developing countries, since oil pollution can have dramatic damaging effects on the environment and to the resident organisms. The main source of hydrocarbons in the oceans comes from routine ship washing operations, natural oil spills on the seabed, and accidents during oil exploration and transportation [1,2]. The need to remedy polluted areas has allowed the development of new technologies to treat contaminants, by chemical or physical methods, and by biological techniques. Bioremediation allows the partial or total removal of contaminants through biological activity [3]. For the success of bioremediation technologies, the use of microorganisms with metabolic abilities suitable for biodegradation and capable of transforming contaminants into less toxic substances is the most important requirement in oil spill bioremediation [4]. Studies have reported that this species has the metabolic ability to produce biosurfactants under cultivation on water-immiscible substrates [6]
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