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Role of Biosurfactants

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Consequences of Microbial Interactions with Hydrocarbons, Oils, and Lipids: Biodegradation and Bioremediation

Part of the book series: Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology ((HHLM))

Abstract

Oil is a mixture of a large number of components, all of which are hydrophobic. The high molecular weight fraction, especially the polyaromatic hydrocarbons, has a low water solubility that significantly reduces their availability to bioremediating bacteria. The addition of biosurfactants is critical for increasing the bioavailability of these hydrocarbons, and encouraging results were obtained with the use of high molecular weight biosurfactants.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Eliora Z. Ron & E. Rosenberg

Authors
  1. Eliora Z. Ron
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  2. E. Rosenberg
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Correspondence to Eliora Z. Ron .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Blue Crab Lure Company, Cape Coral, FL, USA

    Robert J. Steffan

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Ron, E.Z., Rosenberg, E. (2019). Role of Biosurfactants. In: Steffan, R. (eds) Consequences of Microbial Interactions with Hydrocarbons, Oils, and Lipids: Biodegradation and Bioremediation. Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50433-9_6

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