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Role of Biosurfactants

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Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology

Abstract:

Oil is a mixture of a large number of components, all of which are hydrophobic. The high molecular weight fraction, especially the polyaromatic hydrocarbons, has a low water solubility that significantly reduces their availability to bioremediating bacteria. The addition of biosurfactants is critical for increasing the bioavailablity of these hydrocarbons, and encouraging results were obtained with the use of high molecular weight biosurfactants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    E. Ron & E. Rosenberg

Authors
  1. E. Ron
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  2. E. Rosenberg
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstrasse 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany

    Kenneth N. Timmis (Professor) (Professor)

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© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Ron, E., Rosenberg, E. (2010). Role of Biosurfactants. In: Timmis, K.N. (eds) Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-77587-4_186

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