Rhamnolipid Treatment Research Articles

Antibacterial mechanism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa UKMP14T rhamnolipids against multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Rhamnolipids, a major category of glycolipid biosurfactant, have recently gained enormous attention in medical field because of their relevance as effective antibacterial agents against a wide variety of pathogenic bacteria. Our previous studies have shown that rhamnolipids from an environmental isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa UKMP14T possess antibacterial, anti-adhesive and anti-biofilm activity against multidrug-resistant ESKAPE (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter sp.) pathogens. However, the mechanism of their antibacterial action remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of the antibacterial action of P. aeruginosa UKMP14T rhamnolipids by studying the changes in cells of one of the ESKAPE pathogens, Acinetobacter baumannii, which is the most difficult strain to kill. Results revealed that rhamnolipid treatment rendered A. baumannii cells more hydrophobic as evaluated through contact angle measurements. It also induced the release of cellular proteins measuring 510 μg/mL at a rhamnolipid concentration of 1000 μg/mL. In addition, rhamnolipids were found to be bactericidal in their action as they could permeate the inner membranes, leading to a leak-out of nucleotides. More than 50 % of the cells were found to be killed upon 1000 μg/mL rhamnolipid treatment as observed through fluorescence microscopy. Other cellular changes such as irregular shape and size, membrane perturbations, clumping, shrinkage and physical damage were clearly visible in SEM, FESEM and laser micrographs. Furthermore, rhamnolipid treatment inhibited the levels of acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) in A. baumannii, which are vital for their biofilm formation and virulence. The obtained results indicate that P. aeruginosa UKMP14T rhamnolipids target outer and inner bacterial membranes through permeation, including physical damage to the cells, leading to cell leakage. Furthermore, AHL inhibition appears to be the mechanism behind their anti-biofilm action. All these observations can be correlated to rhamnolipids’ antibacterial effect against A. baumannii.

Rhamnolipid 89 Biosurfactant Is Effective against Streptococcus oralis Biofilm and Preserves Osteoblast Behavior: Perspectives in Dental Implantology.

Biofilm-related peri-implant diseases represent the major complication for osteointegrated dental implants, requiring complex treatments or implant removal. Microbial biosurfactants emerged as new antibiofilm coating agents for implantable devices thanks to their high biocompatibility. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the rhamnolipid 89 biosurfactant (R89BS) in limiting Streptococcus oralis biofilm formation and dislodging sessile cells from medical grade titanium, but preserving adhesion and proliferation of human osteoblasts. The inhibitory activity of a R89BS coating on S. oralis biofilm formation was assayed by quantifying biofilm biomass and microbial cells on titanium discs incubated up to 72 h. R89BS dispersal activity was addressed by measuring residual biomass of pre-formed biofilms after rhamnolipid treatment up to 24 h. Adhesion and proliferation of human primary osteoblasts on R89BS-coated titanium were evaluated by cell count and adenosine-triphosphate quantification, while cell differentiation was studied by measuring alkaline phosphatase activity and observing mineral deposition. Results showed that R89BS coating inhibited S. oralis biofilm formation by 80% at 72 h and dislodged 63-86% of pre-formed biofilms in 24 h according to concentration. No change in the adhesion of human osteoblasts was observed, whereas proliferation was reduced accompanied by an increase in cell differentiation. R89BS effectively counteracts S. oralis biofilm formation on titanium and preserves overall osteoblasts behavior representing a promising preventive strategy against biofilm-related peri-implant diseases.

Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses of Escherichia coli Serotype O157:H7 in Response to Rhamnolipid Treatment.

Rhamnolipid (RL) can inhibit biofilm formation of Escherichia coli O157:H7, but the associated mechanism remains unknown. We here conducted comparative physiological and transcriptomic analyses of cultures treated with RL and untreated cultures to elucidate a potential mechanism by which RL may inhibit biofilm formation in E. coli O157:H7. Anti-biofilm assays showed that over 70% of the E. coli O157:H7 biofilm formation capacity was inhibited by treatment with 0.25-1 mg/mL of RL. Cellular-level physiological analysis revealed that a high concentration of RL significantly reduced outer membrane hydrophobicity. E. coli cell membrane integrity and permeability were also significantly affected by RL due to an increase in the release of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the cell membrane. Furthermore, transcriptomic profiling showed 2601 differentially expressed genes (1344 up-regulated and 1257 down-regulated) in cells treated with RL compared to untreated cells. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that RL treatment up-regulated biosynthetic genes responsible for LPS synthesis, outer membrane protein synthesis, and flagellar assembly, and down-regulated genes required for poly-N-acetyl-glucosamine biosynthesis and genes present in the locus of enterocyte effacement pathogenicity island. In summary, RL treatment inhibited E. coli O157:H7 biofilm formation by modifying key outer membrane surface properties and expression levels of adhesion genes.

Study on anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge to produce volatile fatty acids by thermal–rhamnolipid treatment

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe extracellular polymer and cell wall of waste activated sludge serve as chemical barriers for anaerobic fermentation, limiting the recycling and utilization of organic carbon contained in the sludge. To improve the efficiency of anaerobic fermentation, this paper proposes thermal–rhamnolipid (T‐RL) pretreatment technology and systematically discusses the effect of T‐RL treatment on the anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge for acid production from the perspective of organic matter dissolution characteristics, total volatile fatty acid (VFA) content, composition and microbial changes.RESULTST‐RL treatment significantly promoted the dissolution of organic matter in sludge, with soluble chemical oxygen demand solubilizing to 6097.78–7375.56 mg L−1, soluble carbohydrates solubilizing to 207.38–274.74 mg L−1, and the dissolution of soluble proteins and DNA also at a high level. Both treatment factors significantly promoted the enrichment of acid‐producing microorganisms, especially acetic acid‐producing microorganisms. The best VFA production conditions of T‐RL treatment were 60 mg g−1 total solids and 70 °C, and the yield was 3294.96 mg L−1. Compared with thermal and RL treatments, the optimum yield of T‐RL treatment increased by 33.16% and 22.06%, respectively. The VFA components in the T‐RL group were mainly acetic acid and propionic acid. Under optimal conditions, the proportion of acetic acid and propionic acid reached 77%.CONCLUSIONT‐RL treatment can promote sludge disintegration and organic matter conversion through the coupling effect of thermal and RL treatments, providing sufficient and high‐quality substrate for acid‐producing microorganisms, effectively enriching VFA producers, and thus improving the efficiency of anaerobic fermentation for VFA production. This treatment technology will provide some beneficial references for the future utilization of sludge resources. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Hurdle Technology Approach to Control Listeria monocytogenes Using Rhamnolipid Biosurfactant.

This study evaluates the combination of mild heat with a natural surfactant for the inactivation of L. monocytogenes Scott A in low-water-activity (aw) model systems. Glycerol or NaCl was used to reduce the aw to 0.92, and different concentrations of rhamnolipid (RL) biosurfactant were added before heat treatment (60 °C, 5 min). Using glycerol, RL treatment (50-250 µg/mL) reduced bacterial population by less than 0.2 log and heat treatment up to 1.5 log, while the combination of both hurdles reached around 5.0 log reduction. In the NaCl medium, RL treatment displayed higher inactivation than in the glycerol medium at the same aw level and a larger synergistic lethal effect when combined with heat, achieving ≥ 6.0 log reduction at 10-250 µg/mL RL concentrations. The growth inhibition activity of RL was enhanced by the presence of the monovalent salts NaCl and KCl, reducing MIC values from >2500 µg/mL (without salt) to 39 µg/mL (with 7.5% salt). The enhanced antimicrobial activity of RL promoted by the presence of salts was shown to be pH-dependent and more effective under neutral conditions. Overall, results demonstrate that RL can be exploited to design novel strategies based on hurdle approaches aiming to control L. monocytogenes.

Enhancement of co-conversion of endogenous carbon and nitrogen of dairy wastewater in mesophilic hydrolysis-acidification coupled microalgae culture system by rhamnolipid

In order to evaluate the efficiency of co-conversion of endogenous carbon and nitrogen of dairy wastewater in mesophilic hydrolysis-acidification coupled microalgae culture system by rhamnolipid (RL), the effects of RL dosages on the coupled system were investigated. RL can significantly increase volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production in hydrolysis-acidification liquor (HAL) (maximum VFAs production reached 11,484.38 mg COD/L in 2.5 g/L RL test at 144 h). A macrogenome sequencing revealed that the proportion of acidobacteria increased with the increasing dosage of RL. Furthermore, the effect of RL enhanced HAL on microalgae (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) growth, nutrient removal of the microalgae culture system were investigated. The harvested biomass concentration, the removal rates of ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), chemical oxygen demand (COD) were positively correlated with RL dosage. The maximum removal rates of NH4+-N (98.10%), COD (76.17%) which higher than those of the control (77.27% and 59.44%, respectively) were recorded. Furthermore, protein, carbohydrates, and higher heating value (HHV) outputs were also enhanced by RL treatment. More in-depth analysis found that, compared with the control test, RL can exactly enhance the endogenous C, N assimilation, the maximum promotion rates of C and N assimilation yield can reach 156% and 145%.

Response surface methodology for the optimization of the ultrasonic-assisted rhamnolipid treatment of oily sludge

This study investigates the recovery of oily sludge using ultrasound-assisted rhamnolipids and uses oil recovery yield as an evaluation index. The Box–Behnken response surface method was employed to investigate the individual and interactive effects of four different operating factors: frequency, dosage, liquid–solid ratio, and stirring speed. The model optimization results showed that the order of degree of influence of these four factors is frequency > liquid–solid ratio > dosage > stirring speed. The mathematical model predicted the highest oil recovery yield as 92.27%, which was highly accurate (in the 95% confidence interval) as from the experimental results, the highest oil recovery yield was 89.95% under optimal reaction conditions (frequency = 25.58 kHz, dosage = 150.45 mg/L, liquid–solid ratio = 4.1:1 mL/g, and stirring speed = 407 rpm). Thus, the deviation from the prediction model was only 2.32%, indicating that this method provides a theoretical basis for the treatment of oily sludge and can be implemented for practical application in Huaidong in the Xinjiang Province.

Optimization of Process Parameters of Rhamnolipid Treatment of Oily Sludge Based on Response Surface Methodology.

Oily sludge is a hazardous waste. If not handled properly, it can not only pollute the environment but also endanger human health. This study is the first to use a response surface method to optimize the main parameters of rhamnolipid-based recovery of oil from oily sludge. Using rhamnolipids as the cleaning agent and the oil recovery fraction as the evaluation index, the factors affecting the cleaning efficiency of oily sludge were optimized. The aforementioned sludge was obtained from the Tarim Oilfield. A single-factor experiment was conducted to determine the optimal range of the dosage, liquid–solid ratio, pH value, and time. The Box–Behnken response surface method was used to investigate the influence of each variable on the residual oil fraction of the oily sludge, and the dosage, pH value, and time were found to have a significant impact. The model optimization results show that the best process conditions for rhamnolipid-based recovery of oil are as follows: rhamnolipid dosage = 167.785 mg/L; liquid–solid ratio = 4.589:1; pH = 9.618; time = 1.627 h. Under optimal conditions, the model-predicted oil recovery fraction and the actual oil recovery fraction were 85.15 and 82.56%, respectively; the relative error between the predicted and the actual values was 2.59%. These results indicate that the model results are reliable. The solid residue after the cleaning was also analyzed to gain an in-depth understanding of the cleaning process. This study determined the feasibility of a rhamnolipid-based solution for the treatment of oily sludge and oil-contaminated soil.

Enhanced deflocculation of dehydrated sludge by rhamnolipid treatment coupled with thermal hydrolysis

The effect of a biosurfactant, rhamnolipid (RL), coupled with a thermal treatment was investigated to determine its impact on improving the deflocculation of dehydrated sludge from wastewater treatment processes. Results showed that the RL treatment positively impacted sludge conditioning to weak acidity and hydrolyzed the carbohydrates and proteins released from the matrix of the extracellular polymeric substance. When RL was coupled with high temperature thermal treatments (65 and 95 °C), soluble chemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand solubilization increased by 9.6–19.7 times and 13.4–29.3%, respectively. The RL treatment reduced antibiotic resistant bacteria by 5.4–98.4%, and antibiotic activity was further accelerated by high temperature thermal treatment. The combination of biosurfactant and thermal treatment can effectively deflocculate dehydrated sludge and should be considered an alternative technology for the sludge management process.

Hydrolysis and decomposition of waste activated sludge with combined lysozyme and rhamnolipid treatment: Effect of pH

Effect of pH on waste activated sludge (WAS) hydrolysis and decomposition treating with lysozyme and rhamnolipid combined (Ly + RL) was investigated in this study. Results showed that Ly + RL system could significantly improve the release of soluble organic matters at the optimal RL dosage of 0.3 g/gSS and lysozyme dosage of 0.15 g/gSS. Alkali conditions showed better effect than that of acid on the release of soluble organics, improvement of WAS biodegradability and reduction of big floc size within Ly + RL treatment system and the optimal pH was 10. And 9591.6 mg/L soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), 1612.0 mg/L protein and 1211.6 mg/L polysaccharide were released at pH10 after 12 h co-digestion. 83.7% bacteria and 92.2% archaea were decomposed at pH10. Class Gammaproteobacteria (82.4%) was the predominant bacteria after treated by Ly + RL system, and the treated WAS was beneficial for the subsequent organics bio-degradation and volatile fatty acids accumulation.

Application of biosurfactant for enhancement of bioremediation process of crude oil contaminated soil

In the present study, a biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa SR17 was utilized to evaluate its efficiency in enhancement of bioremediation of oil contaminated soil. The degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) on application of rhamnolipid biosurfactant at 1.5 g L−1 was found to be 86.1% and 80.5% in two soil samples containing 6800 ppm and 8500 ppm TPH respectively. The efficiency of biosurfactant was also compared with a frequently used synthetic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) that resulted in 70.8% and 68.1% degradation of TPH from the same contaminated soil samples. GC-MS based analysis showed the presence of poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) namely indene, chamazulene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluorene, floranthene, benz(b)fluorene and benz(d)anthracene in the soil samples. Rhamnolipid treatment eliminated 3 PAHs namely floranthene, benz(b)fluorene, and benz(d)anthracene completely within six months and the remaining PAHs were depleted up to 60–80%, within the same period. The efficient degradation of PAHs and other components of TPH on application of the biosurfactant were attributed to enhanced heterotrophic bacterial population. It was also found that the degradation of oil contaminants led to alteration of certain vital physico-chemical properties of the soil.

Contributions of ryegrass, lignin and rhamnolipid to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon dissipation in an arable soil

Bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soil is often limited by inadequate microbial activity and/or low PAH bioavailability. A pot experiment was performed with an aged contaminated arable soil to explore the remediation potential of ryegrass and lignin, which are believed to improve microbial degradation, as well as the biosurfactant rhamnolipid. On average, the concentration of 15 priority PAHs was reduced by 41.7% in the combined ryegrass, lignin and rhamnolipid treatment after 90 days. In contrast, there was no reduction in PAH concentration when each treatment was used alone. The rhamnolipid was beneficial for successful remediation, as shown by the lack of PAH transformation in all non-rhamnolipid treatments. The total amount of PAHs that accumulated in ryegrass biomass was less than 0.1% of the initial amount in the pot. When the theoretical estimate of plant uptake was considered, it suggested that rhizoremediation rather than direct uptake contributed to PAH dissipation. High-throughput sequencing analysis demonstrated that lignin addition substantially changed the fungal and bacterial communities; however, there was no indication that lignin selected for known bacterial PAH degraders. Nevertheless, a [14C]benz(a)anthracene-spiked microcosm experiment showed that lignin amendment led to enhanced PAH mineralization and nonextractable residue formation. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of selecting bioremediation treatments that can simultaneously stimulate microbial activity and increase PAH bioavailability to achieve remediation effectively. Treatments incorporating rhizoremediation, biostimulation and biosurfactant addition hold promise for detoxifying aged PAH-contaminated agricultural soil.

Disruption of Staphylococcus aureus biofilms using rhamnolipid biosurfactants

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen that has shown ability to establish biofilm communities that can represent a source of contamination and resistance in food processing. Rhamnolipids (RL) have attracted attention as candidates to replace synthetic surfactants, exhibiting high surface activity combined with its microbial origin, biodegradability, and low toxicity. In this work, an RL biosurfactant was evaluated regarding its ability to disrupt or remove S. aureus biofilms established on polystyrene plates using nutrient broth and skim milk as the growth media. Rhamnolipid treatment was performed at different surfactant concentrations and temperatures. Rhamnolipid removes up to 88.9% of milk-based biofilms, whereas for nutrient medium 35% removal was attained. The RL concentration affects the disruption of nutrient medium-based biofilms. High carbohydrate content of milk-based biofilms favors disruption by RL and the organization of RL molecules in solution showed a predominance of aggregates from 1 to 10 and 100 to 1,000 nm in all conditions studied. Biofilm disruption activity of RL is nutrient-specific and dependent on biofilm matrix composition. Staphylococcus aureus biofilms established in milk were significantly reduced using RL at low concentrations and temperatures. These findings suggest potential application of RL in milk (dairy) processing industries where low temperatures are applied.

Extraction and environmental risk assessment of heavy metal in the municipal dewatered sludge using rhamnolipid treatment

ABSTRACTHeavy metal could lead to serious environmental risk to the ecosystem, destroy human health via the food chain. The heavy metal removal from sludge is an emergent issue. In this work, rhamnolipid, an environment-friendly material, was used to enhance heavy metal extraction from the sludge. The results showed that Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, Ni, and Mn maximum extraction efficiencies were 35.10 ± 2.31%, 45.33 ± 3.24%, 27.58 ± 3.35%, 24.12 ± 3.51%, 43.31 ± 2.53% and 22.10 ± 2.11%, respectively; most of exchangeable and reducible fractions, and partly oxidizable and residual fractions have been extracted by the rhamnolipid solution. After treatment, IR values of heavy metals increased in the treated sludge, the IR values for Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, Ni, and Mn were 0.24 ± 0.01, 0.25 ± 0.03, 0.21 ± 0.02, 0.32 ± 0.03, 0.22 ± 0.021 and 0.41 ± 0.03, respectively. MF values indicated that heavy metal mobility order was Zn>Ni>Cu>Mn>Cr>Pb in the treated sludge. According to the two risk assessment methods (risk assessment code, RAC and potential ecological risk index, PERI), the risk assessment of heavy metal was investigated in the after treatment sludge, which indicated that rhamnolipid could extract the mobility of heavy metal and lead to no or low risk to the ecosystem. Therefore, rhamnolipid was utilized to enhance heavy metal extraction from dewatered sludge in this study, which is a promising technique for heavy metal extraction from the dewatered sludge.

Enhanced volatile fatty acid production from excess sludge by combined free nitrous acid and rhamnolipid treatment

VFA production from excess sludge (ES) was greatly enhanced by a low-cost and high-efficient treatment: 0.67mg/L free nitrous acid (FNA) pretreatment combined with 0.04g/g TSS rhamnolipid (RL) addition (FNA+RL), which significantly shortened fermentation time to 3days and increased VFA production to 352.26mgCOD/g VSS (5.42 times higher than raw ES). Propionic and acetic acids were the two leading components (71.86% of the total VFA). Mechanism investigation manifested FNA+RL improved the biodegradability of ES, achieved positive synergetic effect on solubilization, hydrolysis and acidification efficiencies, and inhibited methanation. Microbial community distribution further explained the above phenomena. The bacteria related to polysaccharides/protein utilization and VFA generation, including Clostridium, Megasphaera and Proteiniborus, were mainly observed in FNA+RL, whereas gas-forming bacteria Anaerolineae and acid-consuming bacteria Proteobacteria were assuredly suppressed. Besides, Propionibacterineae associated with propionic acid generation was exclusively enriched in sole RL and FNA+RL.

In situ activity recovery of aging biofilm in biological aerated filter: Surfactants treatment and mechanisms study

In situ activity recovery of aging biofilm in the biological aerated filter (BAF) is an important but underappreciated problem. Lab-scaled BAFs were established in this study and three kinds of surfactants containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and rhamnolipid were employed. Multiple indicators including effluent qualities, dissolved organic matters, biofilm physiology and morphology characteristics were investigated to explore the mechanisms. Results showed that removal rates of effluent COD in test groups significantly recovered to the level before aging. Compared with the control, effluent in SDBS and rhamnolipid-treated groups obtained more protein-like and humic-like substances, respectively. Furthermore, great live cell ratio, smooth surface and low adhesion force of biofilm were observed after rhamnolipid treatment, which was in consistent with good effluent qualities in the same group. This is the first report of applying rhamnolipid for in situ activity recovery of aging biofilm in bioreactors.

Comparison of chemosynthetic and biological surfactants on accelerating hydrogen production from waste activated sludge in a short-cut fermentation-bioelectrochemical system

The effects of chemosynthetic and biological surfactants on accelerating hydrogen generation from waste activated sludge (WAS) is investigated in a short-cut fermentation-bioelectrochemical system. The specific experiments are conducted in a series of completely stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) and single-chamber microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). Results shows that rhamnolipid (RL) lead to a VFAs yield 1.16-fold and 3.63-fold higher over with sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) treatments in CSTRs on 72 h. By contrast, the corresponding conversion efficiency of methanogenesis is inhibited (0.18 ± 0.03% versus 1.89 ± 0.15% (SDS) and 6.63 ± 0.77% (SDBS)), which is beneficial for subsequent hydrogen production in MECs. The distribution of the acidogenesis metabolites is also affected by the types of surfactants, reflected on cascade changing of hydrogen production. Highest hydrogen yield is 12.90 mg H2 g−1 VSS in RL-MECs, which is larger than all values that have been reported for fermentation and single-chamber MECs. Current and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy clearly demonstrate the important role of RL treatment in electron/proton transfer and the internal resistance decrease. This study demonstrate the sustainability and attractiveness of WAS short-cut fermentation-elelctrohydrogenesis, providing a sound basis for sludge stabilization and bioenergy recovery.

Use of rhamnolipid biosurfactant for membrane biofouling prevention and cleaning

Rhamnolipids were evaluated as biofouling reducing agents in this study. The permeability of the bacterial outer membrane was increased by rhamnolipids while the growth rate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was not affected. The surface hydrophobicity was increased through the release of lipopolysaccharides and extracellular polymeric substances from the outer cell membrane. Rhamnolipids were evaluated as agents for the prevention and cleaning of biofilms. A high degree of biofilm detachment was observed when the rhamnolipids were used as a cleaning agent. In addition, effective biofilm reduction occurred when rhamnolipids were applied to various species of Gram-negative bacteria isolated from seawater samples. Biofilm reduction using rhamnolipids was comparable to commercially available surfactants. In addition, 20% of the water flux was increased after rhamnolipid treatment (300 μg ml−1, 6 h exposure time) in a dead-end filtration system. Rhamnolipids appear to have promise as biological agents for reducing membrane biofouling.

Role of low-concentration monorhamnolipid in cell surface hydrophobicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: adsorption or lipopolysaccharide content variation.

A role of rhamnolipid biosurfactant to enhance the biodegradation of hydrocarbons is known to be enhancing bacterial cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) and adhesion of cells to hydrocarbons. Assumptions regarding the mechanism for rhamnolipid in changing CSH of Gram-negative bacteria are rhamnolipid-induced release of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the cell's outer membrane and adsorption/orientation of rhamnolipid on the cell surface. In this study, the relation between cell-wall LPS or rhamnolipid content and CSH of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium subjected to rhamnolipid treatment was investigated to add insights to the mechanism. Results showed that the initial CSH was determined by the type of substrate the cells grow on and the stage of growth. For glucose-grown cells with low initial CSH and high LPS content, rhamnolipid sorption in cell wall had no discernable effect on CSH. For cells grown on glycerol with medium initial CSH and low LPS content, rhamnolipid sorption increased CSH of exponential-phase cells but decreased that of stationary-phase cells. For hexadecane-grown cells with high initial CSH and high LPS content, rhamnolipid sorption decreased CSH of both exponential-phase and stationary-phase cells. The results indicated that CSH has a better correlation to the content of rhamnolipid in the cell wall than to the content of LPS in the presence of rhamnolipid treatment and that rhamnolipid adsorption may be an important mechanism for rhamnolipid to alter CSH of P. aeruginosa.

Application of rhamnolipid as a novel biodemulsifier for destabilizing waste crude oil

Waste crude oil emulsion was inevitably produced in the petroleum industrial process, causing harmful impact on the ecological and social environment. In this study, rhamnolipid was for the first time investigated for demulsification of waste crude oil. As found in this paper, rhamnolipid treatment could obtain over 90% of dewatering efficiency on refractory waste crude oil and such efficient demulsification was confirmed on model emulsions. As further demonstrated on the pilot scale (100L), rhamnolipid treatment could recover over 98% of crude oil from the wastes. The recovered oil contained less than 0.3% of water and thus can directly re-enter into refinery process while the aqueous phase can be disposed into dischargeable water due to largely reduced soluble COD after subjected to 5days of active sludge treatment. It seems that rhamnolipids as biodemulsifiers were of great prospects in the industrial demulsification of waste crude oil.