Biosurfactants: the potential green surfactants in the 21st century

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic microbial molecules with hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties that partition at liquid/liquid, liquid/gas or liquid/solid interfaces. These unique characteristics allow these biomolecules to play a key role in emulsification, foam formation, detergency and dispersal, which makes them ideal for use in different industrial sectors. The production of biosurfactants is considered to be the prime development in industrial technology in the 21st century. Coupled with this feature, increasing public awareness of environmental pollution promotes the search and development of emerging technologies that help in cleaning up of organic and inorganic contaminants. Biosurfactants and biosurfactant producing microorganisms provides an alternative and eco-friendly method of remediation technology of environment contamination with these pollutants. Thus, biosurfactant production, possibility of their application as renewable resources and “green” products has now been the subject of extensive research in recent years. This review deals with the accumulated knowledge regarding biosurfactants gained over the years and possibility of their applications in various industrial fields, in oil recovery, in keeping the environments green, in medicinal sectors. The economic issue regarding the production of biosurfactants on an industrial basis in this regard also has been critically dealt with.