A review on the utility of microbial lipases in wastewater treatment

Microbial lipases hold an unquestionable role among biocatalysts due to the broad spectrum of catalytic reactions in both aqueous and non-aqueous media. Lipases are preferred over chemical catalysts due to their high specificity and stability. The global demand of microbial lipases, especially bacterial and fungal lipases, is based on their application in various processes and industries engaged in meat, dairy, fats and oils, surfactant, tannery, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals production. Lipases also have potential application in treatment of lipid-rich wastewater. Excessive lipids in wastewater cause serious environmental problems like clogging of sewer line, and oily layer generation on the water surface which prevents oxygen and sunlight penetration affecting the aquatic life. Existing physico-chemical treatment methods for lipid-rich wastewater are costly, non-ecofriendly and pose secondary pollution problem. Microbial lipase mediated bioremediation presents an attractive alternate approach to overcome these issues, but it is an under-explored area. Hence, this article attempts to discuss and review the limited studies on the use of lipases in wastewater treatment and potential research gaps. The review mainly focuses on the sources of lipids discharged in the wastewater and associated concerns, existing techniques for lipid removal, applicability of lipase mediated treatment for lipid containing wastewater, which gives a typical understanding of the lipid waste management. This review also summarizes the commercially available microbial lipases and need for further development for environmental application.

Automated summary

Microbial lipases have immense potential in wastewater treatment as an attractive alternative to traditional physico-chemical methods. This article discusses the limited studies on the use of lipases in wastewater treatment and highlights the need for further research in this area.