Bioprospecting of rhamnolipids production and optimization by an oil-degrading Pseudomonas sp. S2WE isolated from freshwater lake

The present study revealed biosurfactants production by a novel oil-degrading Pseudomonas sp. S2WE isolated from hydrocarbon enriched water sample, where the genus Pseudomonas (48.65%) was dominated amongst several other genera. Biosurfactants produced by this strain showed the great potential for surface tension reduction (SFT) and emulsification. The extracted crude biosurfactants were characterized using ultra -highperformance liquid chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) and identified various mono-and dirhamnolipids homologs from the mixture. Moreover, the lowest SFT 33.05 +/- 0.1 mN/m and highest emulsification of 60.65 +/- 0.64% were achieved from rhamnolipids produced from glycerol with urea. Compared to initial screening, almost (>87%) higher emulsification was observed. In addition, the biosurfactants were found highly stable at different environmental factors i.e. temperature (4 degrees C-121 degrees C), pH (3-10) and NaCl conc. (1-9%). The high stable rhamnolipids produced by new Pseudomonas sp. S2WE in this study could widely be used in enormous industrial as well as environmental applications.

Automated summary

This study identified a novel oil-degrading Pseudomonas sp. S2WE strain capable of producing biosurfactants with great potential for reducing surface tension and emulsification. The extracted rhamnolipids showed high stability and emulsification properties, making them suitable for various industrial and environmental applications.