Abstract
The production of biosurfactant by Bacillus subtilis JK-1 was investigated under several conditions. In sea water inoculated with 10% (v/v) of seed culture, the surface tension decreased from 75.0 to 38.4 dyne/cm after 12 h of incubation, which was the highest reduction of surface tension (49%) among the conditions tested. Surface tension further decreased to 31.2 dyne/cm when grown in 1% (v/v) B. subtilis JK-1 inoculated into sea water containing 1% (v/v) crude oil. The decrease of surface tension was similar after 24 h in sea water, sea water containing 1% (v/v) crude oil, and sea water containing 10% (v/v) crude oil using a 10% (v/v) B. subtilis JK-1 inoculum. The biosurfactant produced by B. subtilis JK-1 displayed highest emulsification activity on soybean oil and crude oil. Maximum emulsification stability was obtained from hexane (C6). Using crude oil as a substrate, the emulsification activity of the biosurfactant was much greater than those of chemically synthesized surfactants such as Tween 20 and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). In addition, the bacterial biosurfactant possessed the best emulsification stability when hexane (C6), and hexadecane (C16) were utilized as substrates, as compared to Tween 20, Triton X-100, and SDS. The crude oil in the culture broth was degraded by B. subtilis JK-1, and the C1–C29 carbon chain was almost completely degraded during the 48 h incubation. These results suggest that the biosurfactant of B. subtilis JK-1 is an appropriate candidate for bioremediation of crude oil contaminant.
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Joo, M.H., Kim, J.Y. Characteristics of crude oil biodegradation by biosurfactant-producing bacterium Bacillus subtilis JK-1. J Korean Soc Appl Biol Chem 56, 193–200 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13765-012-3269-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13765-012-3269-9