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Use of Agro-Industrial Waste and By-Products for the Sustainable Production...
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Use of Agro-Industrial Waste and By-Products for the Sustainable Production of Eco-Friendly Surface-Active Compounds

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 6592

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Eduardo Gudiña

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CEB—Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Interests: biosurfactants; biopolymers; bioemulsifiers; surfactin; rhamnolipids; lichenysisn; microbial enhanced oil recovery; bioprocess engineering; bioremediation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Surfactants are one of the most important classes of chemical compounds at the industrial level. Due to their properties, they are key components in the formulation of numerous products for applications in the food, pharmaceutical, textile, and oil and gas industries, as well as in agriculture and bioremediation. Furthermore, surfactants are widely used in our daily life, being present in household detergents, cosmetics, and personal care products. Nowadays, the vast majority of surfactants that are commercialized and used in the industry are synthetic (petroleum-based, obtained through chemical synthesis) or semi-synthetic (obtained through chemical synthesis using renewable building blocks), and due to their toxicity and low biodegradability, questions regarding their long-term effects on the environment are a growing concern. In recent years, increasing environmental awareness among consumers, together with safety concerns and new environmental legislation, has resulted in an increasing demand for more environmentally friendly compounds, which is also applied to surfactants.

Considering their environmental-compatible properties, and their potential to be produced from renewable resources, surface-active compounds of microbial origin (biosurfactants) have attracted considerable interest in recent years. Several biosurfactants have demonstrated a similar or better performance when compared to their synthetic counterparts, and some of them exhibit biological activities (antimicrobial, antiadhesive, antiviral, antitumor) that are not present in synthetics. Furthermore, the replacement of synthetic surfactants by biosurfactants can contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by reducing water pollution and minimizing the release of hazardous chemicals; through the development of alternative environmentally friendly production processes; through the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources; and by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and mitigating climate change.

For these reasons, biosurfactants are promising molecules, and this market is expected to grow in the upcoming years. Nowadays, one of the main limitations of biosurfactants when compared to synthetic surfactants is their high production costs, which need to be considerably reduced in order to increase their potential applications. Despite this, some biosurfactants are already incorporated in cosmetics, in fungicides for use in agriculture, and in cleaning products, although with limited market distribution. In this regard, the use of agro-industrial waste and by-products as alternative substrates for production has attracted considerable interest. This strategy can contribute to reducing the biosurfactant market price, in addition to promoting the development of the circular bio-economy and reducing the use of non-renewable resources. Some substrates (e.g., molasses, wastewaters obtained from different agro-industrial processes, fruit and vegetable wastes, lignocellulosic waste) have demonstrated suitability for biosurfactants production, alone or in combination with other nutrients, due to their content of carbon and nitrogen sources, vitamins, and minerals.

This Special Issue is open to the submission of manuscripts focusing on biosurfactants production using different agro-industrial waste and by-products; the chemical and functional characterization of biosurfactants produced from agro-industrial wastes and by-products; the study of potential applications of biosurfactants obtained from agro-industrial wastes and by-products; techno-economic analyses of biosurfactant production processes from agro-industrial wastes and by-products.

Dr. Eduardo Gudiña
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fermentation is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biosurfactant
  • circular bio-economy
  • corn steep liquor
  • detergents
  • foaming
  • molasses
  • olive mill wastewater
  • rhamnolipids
  • sophorolipids
  • surfactin

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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23 pages, 3482 KiB  
Article
Eco-Friendly Biosurfactant: Tackling Oil Pollution in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems
by Kaio Wêdann Oliveira, Alexandre Augusto P. Selva Filho, Yslla Emanuelly S. Faccioli, Gleice Paula Araújo, Attilio Converti, Rita de Cássia F. Soares da Silva and Leonie A. Sarubbo
Fermentation 2025, 11(4), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation11040199 - 8 Apr 2025
Viewed by 390
Abstract
Spills involving fuels and lubricating oils in industrial environments caused by the fueling of machines, inadequate storage and the washing of equipment are significant sources of environmental pollution, impacting soil and water bodies. Such incidents alter the microbiological, chemical and physical properties of [...] Read more.
Spills involving fuels and lubricating oils in industrial environments caused by the fueling of machines, inadequate storage and the washing of equipment are significant sources of environmental pollution, impacting soil and water bodies. Such incidents alter the microbiological, chemical and physical properties of affected environments. The use of biosurfactants is an effective option for the cleaning of storage tanks and the remediation of contaminated soils and effluents. The scope of this work was to assess the production and application of a Starmerella bombicola ATCC 22214 biosurfactant to remediate marine and terrestrial environment polluted by oil. The production of the biosurfactant was optimized in terms of carbon/nitrogen sources and culture conditions using flasks. The performance of the biosurfactant was tested in clayey soil, silty soil, and standard sand, as well as smooth surfaces and industrial effluents contaminated with oils (fuel oils B1 for thermal power generation, diesel, and motor oil). The ideal culture medium for the production of the biosurfactant contained 2% glucose and 5% glycerol, with agitation at 200 rpm, fermentation for 180 h and a 5% inoculum, resulting in a yield of 1.5 g/L. The biosurfactant had high emulsification indices (86.6% for motor oil and 51.7% for diesel) and exhibited good stability under different pH values, temperatures and concentrations of NaCl. The critical micelle concentration was 0.4 g/L, with a surface tension of 26.85 mN/m. In remediation tests, the biosurfactant enabled the removal of no less than 99% of motor oil from different types of soil. The results showed that the biosurfactant produced by Starmerella bombicola is a promising agent for the remediation of environments contaminated by oil derivatives, especially in industrial environments and for the treatment of oily effluents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Use of Agro-Industrial Waste and By-Products for the Sustainable Production of Eco-Friendly Surface-Active Compounds)
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19 pages, 3912 KiB  
Article
The Formulation of a Natural Detergent with a Biosurfactant Cultivated in a Low-Cost Medium for Use in Coastal Environmental Remediation
by Ivison A. da Silva, Fabíola Carolina G. de Almeida, Romulo N. Alves, Maristela C. C. Cunha, Jéssica Cristina M. de Oliveira, Mucio Luiz B. Fernandes and Leonie A. Sarubbo
Fermentation 2024, 10(7), 332; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10070332 - 26 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2726
Abstract
Green surfactants have significant potential for improving environmental remediation methods. The aim of the present study was to formulate a green natural detergent containing the biosurfactant produced by Starmerella bombicola ATCC 22214 grown in 1.2% canola oil, 10% sucrose, and 0.5% corn steep [...] Read more.
Green surfactants have significant potential for improving environmental remediation methods. The aim of the present study was to formulate a green natural detergent containing the biosurfactant produced by Starmerella bombicola ATCC 22214 grown in 1.2% canola oil, 10% sucrose, and 0.5% corn steep liquor. The biosurfactant reduced surface tension to 31.84 mN/m and was produced at a yield of 22 g/L. Twelve formulations were proposed using cottonseed oil as the natural solvent and different stabilisers (vegetable wax, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and sodium alginate). The detergent was evaluated for its emulsifying capacity and stability over a 10-day period. Ecotoxicity was investigated using the marine recruitment test on metal plates covered with paint into which the biosurfactant was incorporated as well as tests with a microcrustacean and vegetable seeds. The formulation designated H, consisting of 1% biosurfactant, 40% cottonseed oil, and 2% hydroxyethyl cellulose, achieved the best results. The formulation exhibited both stability and emulsifying capacity (100% of petroleum). The ecotoxicity tests revealed the safety of the natural detergent. The detergent achieved satisfactory oil dispersion and solubilised 98% of the oil impregnated on the rock. The results indicate that the natural detergent holds promise for efficiently cleaning up environmental areas contaminated with oil and petroleum products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Use of Agro-Industrial Waste and By-Products for the Sustainable Production of Eco-Friendly Surface-Active Compounds)
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19 pages, 2776 KiB  
Article
Fed-Batch Bioreactor Cultivation of Bacillus subtilis Using Vegetable Juice as an Alternative Carbon Source for Lipopeptides Production: A Shift towards a Circular Bioeconomy
by Irene Gugel, Maliheh Vahidinasab, Elvio Henrique Benatto Perino, Eric Hiller, Filippo Marchetti, Stefania Costa, Jens Pfannstiel, Philipp Konnerth, Silvia Vertuani, Stefano Manfredini and Rudolf Hausmann
Fermentation 2024, 10(6), 323; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10060323 - 20 Jun 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3091
Abstract
In a scenario of increasing alarm about food waste due to rapid urbanization, population growth and lifestyle changes, this study aims to explore the valorization of waste from the retail sector as potential substrates for the biotechnological production of biosurfactants. With a perspective [...] Read more.
In a scenario of increasing alarm about food waste due to rapid urbanization, population growth and lifestyle changes, this study aims to explore the valorization of waste from the retail sector as potential substrates for the biotechnological production of biosurfactants. With a perspective of increasingly contributing to the realization of the circular bioeconomy, a vegetable juice, derived from unsold fruits and vegetables, as a carbon source was used to produce lipopeptides such as surfactin and fengycin. The results from the shake flask cultivations revealed that different concentrations of vegetable juice could effectively serve as carbon sources and that the fed-batch bioreactor cultivation strategy allowed the yields of lipopeptides to be significantly increased. In particular, the product/substrate yield of 0.09 g/g for surfactin and 0.85 mg/g for fengycin was obtained with maximum concentrations of 2.77 g/L and 27.53 mg/L after 16 h, respectively. To conclude, this study provides the successful fed-batch cultivation of B. subtilis using waste product as the carbon source to produce secondary metabolites. Therefore, the consumption of agricultural product wastes might be a promising source for producing valuable metabolites which have promising application potential to be used in several fields of biological controls of fungal diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Use of Agro-Industrial Waste and By-Products for the Sustainable Production of Eco-Friendly Surface-Active Compounds)
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