Abstract
The environment pollution with hydrophobic hydrocarbons is a serious problem that requires development of efficient strategies that would lead to bioremediation of contaminated areas. One of the common methods used for enhancement of biodegradation of pollutants is the addition of biosurfactants. Several mechanisms have been postulated as responsible for hydrocarbons bioavailability enhancement with biosurfactants. They include solubilization and desorption of pollutants as well as modification of bacteria cell surface properties. The presented review contains a wide discussion of these mechanisms in the context of alteration of bioremediation efficiency with biosurfactants. It brings new light to such a complex and important issue.
Highlights
The last decades have brought ever-increasing oil exploration and processing
Crampon et al [55] have observed that the amendment of rhamnolipids changed the phenanthrene sorption and desorption isotherms in the two soils tested, but simultaneously there was no noticeable influence of biosurfactant on hydrocarbon degradation
This phenomenon might be correlated to two possible mechanisms of biosurfactant–microbial cell interactions: (a) surfactants can absorb on cells surface with their hydrophilic part exposed outward decreasing Cells surface hydrophobicity (CSH) [66]; (b) alterations of the cell surface functional groups may occur, as well as removal of extracellular hydrophobic substances from the cell surface by rhamnolipids [68]
Summary
The last decades have brought ever-increasing oil exploration and processing. Global transport is still based on oil-derived fuels, and the production of plastics absorbs a considerable amount of hydrocarbons. The bioavailability of hydrophobic petroleum hydrocarbons, due to their low water solubility, is limited These compounds can adsorb onto the soil matrix, which may result in a decrease in biodegradation efficiency [8,9]. Yao et al have observed that the introduction of rhamnolipid in the soil during the aging process led to an increase in desorption efficiency of phenanthrene [54] They concluded that the biosurfactants supplementation would effectively minimize the sequestration of pollutants and it is favorable for the remediation processes. Crampon et al [55] have observed that the amendment of rhamnolipids changed the phenanthrene sorption and desorption isotherms in the two soils tested, but simultaneously there was no noticeable influence of biosurfactant on hydrocarbon degradation. Effectiveness of biosurfactants in these processes is comparable to that of the synthetic ones, biological molecules are milder in their activity, which makes them a better choice for environmental applications with respect to the indigenous ecosystem
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