Biosurfactants for remediation of petroleum contamination - From the bioremediationgroup.org

Question from
Dr Naresh Singhal, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Auckland

'I am looking for a company that sells bacterially derived biosurfactants. Ordinarily, I would have purchased these from Jeneil Biosurfactants in the US, ...... I need small quantities of these biosurfactants for use in our research.'

extended answer by
Valerie Anne Edwards, President, Alken-Murray Corporation

'The only problem with Pseudomonas derived biosurfactants is that they
kill Bacillus, while enhancing gram-negatives, especially Pseudomonas.

I ended up using Stepan coconut derived surfactants (Cocomidopropyl betaine
and coconut MEA and Desert King's Yucca schidigera formulas (DK
Sarsaponin 30, soluble Yucca schidigera 50 and Ag-Aide 50 liquid),
compatible with Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Marinobacter, Starkeya,
Paracoccus and Thiobacillus strains that I use in various bioremediation
projects and odor control applications. The performance of these
surfactants, their reasonable pricing and biodegradability are all
assets.

I also had considered Jeneil biosurfactants, but I only use liquid
surfactants in Bacillus based products and the antibacterial quality of
the Jeneil products ruined my interest in them.
...........
I have several Bacillus that tested positive
using the procedure of Adria A. Boudour and Raina M. Miller-Maier in
"Application of a Modified Drop-Collapse Technique for Surfactant
Quantification and Screening of Biosurfactants", following pre-screening
using blood agar, according to other procedures I have read, since this
is an easy and rapid test procedure. I do not separate enzymes or
biosurfactants from my Bacillus strains, but by adding Yucca schidigera
(accepted as a biological catalyst or nutrient in jurisdictions that
prohibit surfactant use) along with surfactant-producing Bacillus,
enables me to comply with the law in those localities, while obtaining
optimal results. My Alken Enz-Odor 2 is one such product.

You might want to test some surfactants derived from Yucca and coconut to
see if they will solve your requirements.

Another note is about natural sea kelp sold as a major bio-catalyst for
bioremediation. Like the Jeneil surfactant, sea kept extract enhances
gram-negatives, while it delays Bacillus germination by 48 hours, rather
than killing them, like the Jeneil product does. The sea kept is useful
for mixed gram formulas for petroleum remediation when the Bacillus are
included to digest fatty acids and other secondary metabolites, so
delaying them until the primary degraders have produced food for them is
useful for that application, but if petroleum degrading Bacillus are
included, slowing them up is not necessarily a good plan.'

comment by Fred. J. Heyrich/Bio-Surge, Inc., NEOTECH

As usual you knowledgeable people have many informative points. As far as coconut and yucca derived stuff odor from feces of swine and cattle is definitely reduced BUT as soon as they go into an anaerobic lagoon the odor is right back again, just as strong. Valerie Anne's observation about organically produced surfactans is quite accurate. We at Bio-SURGE have surfactants that reduces hydrocarbons to fatty acids [not perfect Bunker oil, really long-chain and side chain HCs need other treatment first]. As a preliminary treatment we use a 2nd and a third generation "Quadra-Peroxide, pH about 8 and other details on most HCs, including those with chloro groups and including diesel and gasoline fuel additives. We keep the third gen. Peroxide for our own use and special accounts because 3rd gen. is dangerous to use. Those of us who remember the HEARTY [particularly down hole which "blew" Fenton reaction at 2.2 pH would have an inkling of what could happen. The pretreatment with Quadra-Peroxide and the triple surfactant [do it in phases] prepares the environment to be condusive to an appropriate consortium of bacteria, molds yeast and fungi to complete the degradations.

Have any of you EVER encountered a single bacteria strain to degrade ANY HC? Candida is the closest I know of and it requires other bacteria to complete degradation. I hear claims about one strain bacterial degradation, for real?

comment by Dave Russell

The problem with swine manure is the high content of sulfur and ammonia. Especially in an anaerobic environment, the conditions are right for formulation of NH3 and H2S which are both particularly stinky. About the best one can do for an anaerobic reaction is to provide covered tankage with either flaring or thermal destruction or alkaline scrubbers to reduce the odors. It is also possible by using perioxides and perhaps permanganates to oxidixe the NH3 and H2S to eliminate them as odor sources.

Odor treatment - What about biofilter treatment