BackgroundBiosurfactants are surface-active agents produced by microorganisms that have higher efficiency and stability, lower toxicity and higher biocompatibility and biodegradability than chemical surfactants. Despite its properties and potential application in a wide range of environmental and industrial processes, biosurfactants are still not cost-competitive when compared to their synthetic counterparts. Cost effective technologies and renewable raw substrates as agro-industrial and regional waste from northeast of Brazil as cassava flour wastewater, supplemented with lactose and corn oil are mainly the chemically media for growing microorganism and in turn the production of the biosurfactant of quality. This study aimed to obtained biosurfactant by Serratia marcescens UCP 1549 containing cassava flour wastewater (CWW), by application of a full-factorial design, as sustainable practices in puts the production process in promising formulation medium. The characterization of the biomolecule was carried out, as well as the determination of its stability and toxicity for cabbage seeds. In addition, its ability to stimulate seed germination for agriculture application and oil spill bioremediation were investigated.ResultsSerratia marcescens showed higher reduction of surface tension (25.92 mN/m) in the new medium containing 0.2% lactose, 6% cassava flour wastewater and 5% corn waste oil, after 72 h of fermentation at 28 °C and 150 rpm. The substrate cassava flour wastewater showed a promising source of nutrients for biosurfactant production. The isolate biosurfactant exhibited a CMC of 1.5% (w/v) and showed an anionic and polymeric structure, confirmed by infrared spectra. The biomolecule demonstrated high stability under different temperatures, salinity and pH values and non-toxicity against to cabbage seeds. Thus, exploring biosurfactant their potential role in seeds germinations and the promotion and agricultural applications was investigated. In addition, the effectiveness of biosurfactant for removal burned motor oil adsorbed in sand was verified.ConclusionsThe use of medium containing CWW not only reduces the cost of process of biosurfactant production, but also the environmental pollution due to the inappropriate disposal of this residue. This fact, added to the high stability and non-toxicity of the biosurfactant produced by S. marcescens UCP 1549, confirms its high environmental compatibility, make it a sustainable biocompound that can be replace chemical surfactants in diverse industries. In addition, the effectiveness of biosurfactant for stimulate seed germination and removing burned motor oil from sand, suggests its suitability for agriculture and bioremediation applications.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12934-018-1046-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A Mucoralean fungus was isolated from Caatinga soil of Pernambuco, Northeast of Brazil, and was identified as Cunninghamella echinulata by morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests. This strain was evaluated for biosurfactant/bioemulsifier production using soybean oil waste (SOW) and corn steep liquor (CSL) as substrates, added to basic saline solution, by measuring surface tension and emulsifier index and activity. The best results showed the surface water tension was reduced from 72 to 36 mN/m, and an emulsification index (E24) of 80% was obtained using engine oil and burnt engine oil, respectively. A new molecule of biosurfactant showed an anionic charge and a polymeric chemical composition consisting of lipids (40.0% w/w), carbohydrates (35.2% w/w) and protein (20.3% w/w). In addition, the biosurfactant solution (1%) demonstrated its ability for an oil displacement area (ODA) of 37.36 cm2, which is quite similar to that for Triton X-100 (38.46 cm2). The stability of the reduction in the surface water tension as well as of the emulsifier index proved to be stable over a wide range of temperatures, in pH, and in salt concentration (4%–6% w/v). The biosurfactant showed an ability to reduce and increase the viscosity of hydrophobic substrates and their molecules, suggesting that it is a suitable candidate for mediated enhanced oil recovery. At the same time, these studies indicate that renewable, relatively inexpensive and easily available resources can be used for important biotechnological processes.

This research aims to study the production of chitosan from shrimp shell (Litopenaeus vannamei) of waste origin using two chemical methodologies involving demineralization, deproteinization, and the degree of deacetylation. The evaluation of the quality of chitosan from waste shrimp shells includes parameters for the yield, physical chemistry characteristics by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), the degree of deacetylation, and antibacterial activity. The results showed (by Method 1) extraction yields for chitin of 33% and for chitosan of 49% and a 76% degree of deacetylation. Chitosan obtained by Method 2 was more efficient: chitin (36%) and chitosan (63%), with a high degree of deacetylation (81.7%). The antibacterial activity was tested against Gram-negative bacteria (Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Enterobacter cloacae) and Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis and the Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) and the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were determined. Method 2 showed that extracted chitosan has good antimicrobial potential against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and that the process is viable.

A biosurfactant was produced from Cunninghamella echinulata using sustainable technology for cleaning and degreasing of cotton fabric impregnated with burned motor oil. The surface tension was 32.4 mN/m on a medium containing instant noodle waste (2%), corn steep liquor (2%), and postfrying oil (0.5%) with a carbon/nitrogen ratio of 30 : 1, yield of 6.0 g·L−1, emulsifier index of 81.4%, and dispersant property of 32.15 cm2. The biosurfactant produced is a glycolipid constituted by carbohydrate (47.7%) and lipids (50.0%). The structure was confirmed by GC-MS (stearic acid in predominance with mass of 298 m/z), FTIR spectroscopy (polysaccharides in bands between 1025 and 1152 cm−1 and fatty acids in bands between 2057 and 3100 cm−1), 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectrum (carbohydrates in signal of 4.38 ppm and 77.0 ppm). The properties of cleaning and degreasing of burned engine oil in cotton fabric by biosurfactant of C. echinulata was evidenced by removal of 86% of oil. After use of the biosurfactant, the fibers were not damaged, which is important for structural integrity of cotton fabric after the wash. In addition, the biosurfactant did not show toxic effect. This study suggests that the biosurfactant from C. echinulata can be used in formulation of textile detergents, in particular for removal of hydrophobic residues from the automobile industry.

The biosorption of three reactive azo dyes (red, black and orange II) found in textile effluents by inactive mycelium of Cunninghamella elegans has been investigated. It was found that after 120 hours of contact the adsorption led to 70%, 85%, 93% and 88% removal of reactive orange II, reactive black, reactive red and a mixture of them, respectively. The mycelium surface was found to be selective towards the azo dyes in the following order: reactive red > reactive black > orange II. Dye removal from a mixture solution resulted in 48.4 mg/g retention by mycelium and indicated a competition amongst the dyes for the cellular surface. A Freundlich adsorption isotherm model exhibited a better fit, thus suggesting the presence of heterogeneous binding sites. Electrondense deposits observed on the mycelium ultrastructure suggest that the dyes are mainly retained under the cellular surface of the inactive biomass of C. elegans.