Читать книгу Biosurfactants for a Sustainable Future - Группа авторов - Страница 41

The major barrier in the production of biosurfactants is the cost of the production process. It was documented that the main obstacle to large‐scale application of biosurfactants is related to their higher production cost (10–30%) than chemical surfactants. In particular, carbon and energy sources used during the fermentation process cost 50% of the total costs of production of biosurfactants [12–14]. However, the use of alternative nutrient sources that are readily available and cheap may drastically reduce this cost [15]. The usage of industrial waste or byproducts as a source of energy for biosurfactant production may be an effective way to reduce production cost and sustainability of the production process for industries. It was reported earlier [16] that agro‐industrial waste, with a higher protein, fat, and carbohydrate component, is desirable as a production medium component for biosurfactant production.

Similarly, industrial byproducts, i.e. glycerol, petroleum sludge, sugar cane bagasse, and fish waste, could be used as a carbon source for the fermentation process and microbial growth [17]. Several microorganisms, like Bacillus, Corynebacterium, Pseudomonas, and Rhodococcus are capable of producing biosurfactants from various industrial byproducts. Aguiar et al. [18] reported the use of Corynebacterium aquaticum as emulsifying biosurfactant producers by using agro‐waste. Waste discharged from oil‐based industries is severely harmful to the environment and is assumed to be primarily responsible for worldwide pollution. Many of them are neurotoxic, carcinogenic, and poisonous and, therefore, can impact human and animal health [19–21]. Similarly, the solvents used for the removal of paint adversely affect the environment. Searching for new techniques that effectively reduce pollutants is therefore extremely important in order to reduce the adverse impact of industrial wastes.