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Assessment of Rheological Behaviour of Water-in-Oil Emulsions Mediated by Glycolipid Biosurfactant Produced by Bacillus megaterium SPSW1001

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Abstract

A screening programme using mineral salt medium supplemented with n-hexadecane resulted in isolating a Bacillus megaterium SPSW1001 which was capable of producing surface active molecules lowering culture medium surface tension to 27.43 ± 0.029 mN/m and interfacial tension to 0.38 ± 0.03 mN/m at 72 h and an emulsification index (E24) (85.63%). The biosurfactant product was further used to assess its effects on the rheological characteristics of water-in-oil emulsion prepared with engine oil. Structural characterization of the biosurfactant product by FTIR revealed a C–O–C stretch in sugar moiety and ester carbonyl linkage group between sugar and fatty acids, respectively, while mass spectral analysis revealed its glycolipid nature, with an m/z value of 662.44. The fluid behaviour of water-in-oil emulsion showed a non-Newtonian viscoelastic dilatant flow after yielding exemplified appropriately by Herschel-Bulkley model with 100% confidence of fit. The present study is significant in formulation and handling, processing, and transport of emulsion and in understanding flocculation characteristics.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Central Instrumentation Facility and Department of Bio-engineering at Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, and Jharkhand, India, for providing research facilities. We gratefully acknowledge DST and SAIF/CRNTS, IIT Bombay for providing (LCMS/QTOF/Orbitrap) analytical facility for my research work. Also, I would like to thank Mr. V. K. Srivastava for giving permission for a sample collection from Haldia Oil Refinery, Haldia.

Funding

We gratefully acknowledge the Government of India (Department of Science & Technology) Scheme for Women Scientist-A (WOS-A) for a research grant (Project no. SR/WOS-A/LS-154/2018) to carry out this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bio-Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand, 835215, India

    Varsha Singh, Zairah Waris & Padmini Padmanabhan

  2. School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, BT52 1SA, Northern Ireland, UK

    Ibrahim M. Banat

  3. Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Patna, Bihar, 801106, India

    Sriparna Saha

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  1. Varsha Singh
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  5. Padmini Padmanabhan
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Contributions

Varsha Singh: designed the study, performed the experiments, analysed the results, and wrote and revised the manuscript.

Zairah Waris: performed the experiments and analysed the results, and wrote and revised the manuscript.

Ibrahim M. Banat: analysed the results and revised the manuscript.

Padmini Padmanabhan: design the study and revised the manuscript.

Sriparna Saha: revised the manuscript and participated in the study. Manuscript was read and approved by all authors.

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Correspondence to Padmini Padmanabhan.

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Singh, V., Waris, Z., Banat, I.M. et al. Assessment of Rheological Behaviour of Water-in-Oil Emulsions Mediated by Glycolipid Biosurfactant Produced by Bacillus megaterium SPSW1001. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 194, 1310–1326 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-021-03717-3

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