Dispersion of Colloidal Alumina using a Rhamnolipid Biosurfactant

Dispersability of colloidal alumina in water has been studied using a rhamnolipid containing biosurfactant. Zeta potential measurements revealed that the surface charge of alumina was altered due to adsorption of the biosurfactant and the iso‐electric‐point of alumina shifted from pH 9 to 6.3. Sedimentation tests indicated that the alumina suspension was completely dispersed for 3–5 hours in the presence of biosurfactant after which some settling was observed. Stability of the suspension in the time period studied was found to be independent of pH. Capillary suction time measurements showed that the alumina suspension was dispersed in the presence of the biosurfactant and varied with pH. Maximum dispersion is obtained in the pH range of 3.5–5 and 7–11 while a minimum is obtained around pH 6. This behavior is consistent with the changes in zeta potential in the presence of the biosurfactant and thus capillary suction time measurements appeared to be more reliable than the sedimentation tests. Optimization studies showed that about 60 mg/g of biosurfactant was necessary for best dispersion and dispersion could be done up to 40% solids. The application of a natural biosurfactant for dispersing colloidal alumina has been demonstrated.     

Response surface methodology for the optimization of the ultrasonic-assisted rhamnolipid treatment of oily sludge

This study investigates the recovery of oily sludge using ultrasound-assisted rhamnolipids and uses oil recovery yield as an evaluation index. The Box–Behnken response surface method was employed to investigate the individual and interactive effects of four different operating factors: frequency, dosage, liquid–solid ratio, and stirring speed. The model optimization results showed that the order of degree of influence of these four factors is frequency > liquid–solid ratio > dosage > stirring speed. The mathematical model predicted the highest oil recovery yield as 92.27%, which was highly accurate (in the 95% confidence interval) as from the experimental results, the highest oil recovery yield was 89.95% under optimal reaction conditions (frequency = 25.58 kHz, dosage = 150.45 mg/L, liquid–solid ratio = 4.1:1 mL/g, and stirring speed = 407 rpm). Thus, the deviation from the prediction model was only 2.32%, indicating that this method provides a theoretical basis for the treatment of oily sludge and can be implemented for practical application in Huaidong in the Xinjiang Province.     

电喷雾质谱法分析假单胞菌的代谢产物鼠李糖脂

采用电喷雾质谱(ESI-MS)结合碰撞诱导解离(CA)技术,分析了假单胞菌BS-03,利用甘油产的鼠李糖脂提取物。根据一级和二级质谱图确定了提取物中存在23种鼠李糖脂组分,主要由4种物质(RhC10、RhC10C10、Rh2C10和Rh2C10C10)构成,其中前3种的丰度较高也较平均。该提取物中单鼠李糖脂的含量高于双鼠李糖脂,并且双鼠李糖脂的二级质谱图中普遍存在强度较高的m/z为205、247的特征碎片离子,而单鼠李糖脂中却不存在此特征碎片离子。     

In vitro antibiofilm activity of Murraya koenigii essential oil extracted using supercritical fluid CO2 method against Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

The antibiofilm activity of Murraya koenigii essential oil (EO) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 was investigated in this study. A decrease in the production of rhamnolipid, extracellular polymeric substance and swarming motility was observed by the EO treatment (0.3% v/v). The static microtitre plate assay revealed 80% reduction in biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa PAO1 on M. koenigii EO treatment. Fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses confirmed the reduction of biofilm formation in P. aeruginosa PAO1 when treated with M. koenigii EO. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of the EO revealed the presence of well-known antibiofilm agents such as spathulenol (5.85%), cinnamaldehyde (0.37%) and linalool (0.04%). Cinnamaldehyde has not been previously reported in M. koenigii EO. The potent antibiofilm properties of M. koenigii EO may be effectively exploited in food and pharmaceutical industries as well as in controlling Pseudomonas biofilms on indwelling medical devices.     

生物表面活性剂鼠李糖脂的纯化与表征

生物表面活性剂鼠李糖脂是微生物在一定条件下产生的次级代谢产物,其分子具有极性亲水基团和非极性亲油基团结构,通常表现出很高的表面活性和界面优先分配能力。可靠的分离提纯方法和成分鉴定手段是鼠李糖脂生产工艺成功的重要保证。实验通过好氧发酵培养铜绿假单胞菌CCTCC AB93066、酸沉降分离得到鼠李糖脂后,利用柱色谱提纯技术得到纯化的鼠李糖脂的单糖脂和二糖脂,最后采用高效液相色谱-质谱联用法进行成分鉴定。结果显示这两种鼠李糖脂均含有3种主要成分,其中单糖脂的主要成分为RhaC₁₀C₁₀、RhaC₁₀C₁₂-H₂、RhaC₁₀C₁₂,二糖脂的主要成分为Rha₂C₁₀C₁₀、Rha₂C₁₀C₁₂-H₂、Rha₂C₁₀C₁₂。该研究结果表明,铜绿假单胞菌CCTCC AB93066是一种良好的鼠李糖脂产生菌;酸沉降-柱色谱技术可以用于鼠李糖脂的深度提纯,且有较好的效果;而高效液相色谱-质谱联用技术对鼠李糖脂成分鉴定具有灵敏度高和准确性好等优点,是一种较为可靠的检测方法。     

Thermodynamic Analysis of the Adsorption and Micellization Activity of the Mixtures of Rhamnolipid and Surfactin with Triton X-165

The surface tension of aqueous solutions of Triton X-165 with rhamnolipid or surfactin mixtures was measured. The obtained results were applied for the determination of the concentration and composition of the Triton X-165 and biosurfactants mixture at the water–air interface as well as the contribution of the particular component of the mixtures to water surface tension reduction and the mutual influence of these components on the critical micelle concentration. The determination of these quantities was based on both the commonly used concepts and a new one proposed by us, which assumes that the composition of the mixed monolayer at the water–air interface depends directly on the pressure of the monolayer of the single mixture component and allows us to determine the surface concentration of each mixture component independently of surface tension isotherms shape. Taking into account the composition of the mixed monolayer at the water–air interface, the standard Gibbs adsorption free energy was considered. The obtained results allow us to state that the concentration of both mixture components corresponding to their saturated monolayer and the surface tension of their aqueous solution can be predicted using the surfactants’ single monolayer pressure and their mole fraction in the mixed monolayer determined in the proposed way.     

Laccase behavior in the microenvironment of water core within a biosurfactant‐based reversed micelles system rhamnolipid/n‐hexanol/isooctane/water

Compared with synthetic surfactants (cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, sodium bis(2‐ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate and Tween‐80), the properties of the aqueous core as well as the microenvironment behavior were investigated in water‐in‐oil microemulsions, which are formed by water and biosurfactant rhamnolipid (RL) in the solvent of isooctane/n‐hexanol (1:1, v/v). Besides, as a typical substrate of lignocellulose, guaiacol was used to detect the laccase activity in reversed micelles (RMs). The results were eventually confirmed that RL‐based RM system has higher solubilization ability, more friendly environmental compatibility and milder reaction microenvironment than the others. In this study, triangle phase diagram of surfactant/n‐hexanol/isooctane/water was constructed to analyze the variation of phase behavior between each RM system. For the RL‐based RM system, the effect of the molar ratio of water to surfactant (ω₀) on enzyme hydrolytic activity was also determined to be shown as a bell‐shaped curve and presented a maximum at ω₀ = 19; the O―H stretching vibrations of water in aqueous core was also studied by analyzing the IR spectrum over the region of 3050–3750 cm ^{? 1}. Moreover, kinetic studies showed that the catalytic efficiency of the laccase in RL‐based RM system was lower than in aqueous solution. Nevertheless, the RM system obtained the highest hydrolysis rate at RL concentration of 1.0CMC, which is 0.055 mM. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Emulsifying Properties of Rhamnolipids and Their In Vitro Antifungal Activity against Plant Pathogenic Fungi

Simple SummaryThe components of the rhamnolipid products of various sources are usually significantly different. This may hinder the application of rhamnolipid products. The rhamnolipid products with known structural components were used to test their emulsifying properties toward solvents in pesticide and their antifungal performance against plant pathogenic fungi. The results showed that the different components of rhamnolipids had no significant effect on the emulsifying performance, however, increased amounts of di-rhamnolipids in products exhibited stronger antifungal activity. We hope this work will be helpful to promote the application of rhamnolipids as pesticide adjuvants.AbstractRhamnolipids have significant emulsifying activity and the potential to become a component of pesticide emulsifier. Rhamnolipids are usually composed of two main components: mono-rhamnolipids (Rha-C₁₀-C₁₀) and di-rhamnolipids (Rha₂-C₁₀-C₁₀). The proportion of di-rhamnolipids in the products ranged between 15% and 90%, affected by the production strains and fermentation process. In this paper, three kinds of rhamnolipid products containing di-rhamnolipids proportions, of 25.45, 46.46 and 89.52%, were used to test their emulsifying ability toward three conventional solvents used in pesticide (S-200, xylene, cyclohexanone) and antifungal activities against five strains of plant pathogenic fungi (Phytophthora capsici, Phytophthora parasitica var.nicotianae, Colletotrichum destructivum, Colletotrichum sublineolum, Fusarium oxysporum). The results indicated that although the CMC of the three rhamnolipids were significantly different, their emulsification properties had no remarkable differences, at a concentration of 10 g/L. However, their antifungal activities were significantly different: the more di-rhamnolipids, the stronger the antifungal activity. This work helps to promote the application of rhamnolipids as pesticides adjuvants.     

Electron Microscopy of Rhamnolipid (Biosurfactant) Morphology: Effects of pH, Cadmium, and Octadecane

A rhamnolipid biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 is reported to increase the aqueous dispersion and biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons and to complex heavy metals. These reports indicate the potential for application of rhamnolipids in remediation of contaminated sites. Effective use of rhamnolipids will require understanding of rhamnolipid morphology and the effects of pH and organic and inorganic contaminants on that morphology. We used cryo-transmission electron microscopy to investigate the morphology of vitrified, frozen hydrated suspensions of rhamnolipid over a pH range of 5.5 to 8.0, and to determine the effect of a model alkane, octadecane, and a model heavy metal, cadmium, on rhamnolipid morphology. Micrographs clearly showed that rhamnolipid morphology was a function of pH, changing from lamellar, to vesicular, to micellar as pH increased. The effect of cadmium and octadecane on rhamnolipid morphology was determined at pH 6.8 and 7.0, where maximum cadmium complexation and maximum octadecane dispersion occurs. Cadmium seemed to stabilize rhamnolipid vesicle structures as shown by an increase in vesicle number and a decrease in vesicle diameter. In contrast, octadecane favored the micellar structure as shown by the complete absence of vesicles.