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Review
. 2024 Jan 19:12:1327113.
doi: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1327113. eCollection 2024.

Sustainable biosurfactant production from secondary feedstock-recent advances, process optimization and perspectives

Yahui Miao #  1 , Ming Ho To #  1 , Muhammad Ahmar Siddiqui  1   2 , Huaimin Wang  3 , Sofie Lodens  4   5 , Shauhrat S Chopra  1 , Guneet Kaur  6 , Sophie L K W Roelants  4   5 , Carol Sze Ki Lin  1
Affiliations
Review

Sustainable biosurfactant production from secondary feedstock-recent advances, process optimization and perspectives

Yahui Miao et al. Front Chem. .

Abstract

Biosurfactants have garnered increased attention lately due to their superiority of their properties over fossil-derived counterparts. While the cost of production remains a significant hurdle to surpass synthetic surfactants, biosurfactants have been anticipated to gain a larger market share in the coming decades. Among these, glycolipids, a type of low-molecular-weight biosurfactant, stand out for their efficacy in reducing surface and interfacial tension, which made them highly sought-after for various surfactant-related applications. Glycolipids are composed of hydrophilic carbohydrate moieties linked to hydrophobic fatty acid chains through ester bonds that mainly include rhamnolipids, trehalose lipids, sophorolipids, and mannosylerythritol lipids. This review highlights the current landscape of glycolipids and covers specific glycolipid productivity and the diverse range of products found in the global market. Applications such as bioremediation, food processing, petroleum refining, biomedical uses, and increasing agriculture output have been discussed. Additionally, the latest advancements in production cost reduction for glycolipid and the challenges of utilizing second-generation feedstocks for sustainable production are also thoroughly examined. Overall, this review proposes a balance between environmental advantages, economic viability, and societal benefits through the optimized integration of secondary feedstocks in biosurfactant production.

Keywords: biorefinery; biosurfactant; glycolipid; secondary feedstock; sustainability; valorization.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors SL and SR were employed by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Classification of biosurfactants based on their chemical composition, adapted from (Gayathiri et al., 2022; Mgbechidinma et al., 2022).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Chemical structures of glycolipids: (A) Rhamnolipid, the second rhamnose molecule can be added to R1 position to form di-rhamnolipid, and R2 represents the attachment of various lengths of fatty acids. (B) Trehalose lipid, (C) Mannosylerythritol lipid, (D) Acidic sophorolipid, and (E) Lactonic sophorolipid.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Potential applications of biosurfactants and their mechanisms.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Types of biosurfactant products.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Challenges in the production of sustainable biosurfactants: environmental, social, and economic perspectives.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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