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Valorization of oily sludge waste using biosurfactant-producing bacteria

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Abstract

Oily sludge generated by the petroleum industry is not only an environmental hazard, but since it contains crude oil too, it is a valuable resource as well. This study demonstrates a methodology for the valorization of the oily sludge that allows the recovery of oil fractions by the action of microbes producing surface-active metabolites. Two bacterial isolates were used in the study that were producing different biosurfactants, identified via FTIR analysis as well as through genomic mapping of the biosurfactant pathways using RAST, ANTISMASH 7.0, STRING databases. Serratia spp. AKBS12, produced a mono-rhamnolipid, while Acinetobacter spp. AKBS16, produced emulsan. Although recovery efficiency of both biosurfactants was similar, the recovery profile with respect to the class of hydrocarbons differed. The rhamnolipid produced by Serratia spp. AKBS12 extracted mono-chained paraffins and linear alkanes, while emulsan, produced by Acinetobacter spp. AKBS16 could extract heavier paraffins. The extraction procedure is simple and involves mixing the biosurfactant with oily sludge at a temperature of 30 °C with an incubation of 9 days. Sulphuric acid precipitation releases the oil trapped in the oily sludge. The study is the first step in developing user-friendly, innovative technologies that can be linked to the concept of a circular economy.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

Ayushi Chafale acknowledges the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, India, for providing the Senior Research Fellowship. Grant, BT/PR30261/BCE/8/1495/2018 from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), New Delhi, is gratefully acknowledged. The manuscript has been checked for plagiarism by iTHENTICATE at Knowledge Resource Centre, CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur, India, and assigned KRC No. CSIR-NEERI/KRC/2021/NOV/EBGD-CHWMD/1.

Funding

Atya Kapley reports financial support was provided by India Ministry of Science & Technology Department of Biotechnology (BT/PR30261/BCE/8/1495/2018).

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AK: Conceptualization; Supervision; Visualization; Writing—review & editing. AC: Investigation; Methodology; Roles/Writing—original draft; Writing—review & editing. SD: FTIR Analytical data evaluation.

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Correspondence to Atya Kapley.

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Chafale, A., Das, S. & Kapley, A. Valorization of oily sludge waste using biosurfactant-producing bacteria. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 39, 316 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-023-03759-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-023-03759-1

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