What Are Biosurfactants?

What Are Biosurfactants?

What is a Biosurfactant?

A biosurfactant is a compound produced organically by things like fungi, yeast, or bacteria. Some of the most common sources of biosurfactants are Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans.

They are also known as secondary metabolites and surface-active amphiphilic compounds. There are five major classes that biosurfactants can fall into glycolipids, lipopeptides, phospholipids, polymeric compounds, and neutral lipids. They’re composed of biological-chemical complexes including many types of molecules. Some examples of the molecules are fatty acids, alkyl glycosides, and sugar molecules.

Are Biosurfactants Environmentally Friendly?

Yes! The environmental compatibility with biosurfactants is one of their many benefits. They are better for the environment than most chemically synthesized surfactants. They are low in toxicity compared to chemical surfactants and they are also biodegradable. The majority of surfactants that are chemically synthesized are often petroleum-based and non-biodegradable. This makes them remain detrimental to the environment longer.

Other Benefits

The other benefits of biosurfactants are various. Along with their high biodegradability, low toxicity, and environmental impact, they have high stability and activity in extreme conditions and many industrial applications. Some biosurfactants like Cyclic Lipopeptide (CLP) can endure pH levels from 7.0 to 12.0 as well as being warmed to high temperatures.  They showed excellent emulsion development capacity with vegetable oils and performed well with business clothing cleansers. Even better, biosurfactants have abilities that can remove petroleum hydrocarbon contaminants from soil and refinery wastewater. All in all, biosurfactants have wide applicability in many industries including cosmetic, food, and agricultural fields.

Looking for Biosurfactant?

Are you looking for a biosurfactant or would you like to learn more about them and their applications? Bulk Chemicals 2 Go can help! Click here for more information about biosurfactants or to fulfill your biosurfactant needs