Microbial Surfactants: Volume I: Production and Applications

Biosurfactants are the surface-active biomolecules produced by microorganisms. Biosurfactants have gained commercial significance due to their unique properties, such as high surface activity, high specificity, low toxicity, tolerance to pH, temperature and ionic strength, biodegradability, excellent emulsifying and demulsifying ability, antimicrobial activity, ability to work under extreme conditions, and relative ease of preparation. Biosurfactants are used in several industries, including organic chemicals, petroleum, petrochemicals, mining, metallurgy (mainly bioleaching), agrochemicals, fertilizers, foods, beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and many others.

The aim of this book is to highlight key aspects from basics to advanced concepts, classifications, production and applications in various fields such as agriculture, health, bioremediation, industries, pharmaceutical, oil recovery, environment, and nanotechnology. It also serves as an excellent and expansive literature on fermentation, recovery, genomics, and metagenomics of biosurfactant production. The book focuses on the biosurfactant production from bacteria, the diversity of biosurfactant producing bacteria, and industrial need of biosurfactant.

R.Z. Sayyed is Professor and Head of the Department of Microbiology at PSGVP Mandal's Arts, Science & Commerce College, Shahada (KBC North Maharshtra University, Jalgaon), India. He is the President of the Indian Chapter of Asian PGPR Society for Sustainable Agriculture.

Hesham Ali El-Enshasy is Professor in Bioprocess Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, and Director for the Institute of Bioproducts Development, University Technology Malaysia (UTM). He is also the Co-Chair for Food, Pharmaceutical & Bio-Engineering Division, Division (Food), American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE).

Bee Hameeda is Assistant Professor in Microbiology, University College of Science, Osmania University (OU), Hyderabad, India. She has been Visiting Scientist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.