Co-production of biomass and biosurfactants from Bacillus subtilis recycling food and residues from microbial biomass and biodiesel synthesis

• Grant number: 11/13174-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2011
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Augusto Etchegaray Júnior
• Grantee: Ramon Henrick Zorzeto dos Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Química. Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas (PUC-CAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Surfactants are important substances for the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries. Although the most currently used surfactants are derived from petroleum, a sustainable alternative is based on production from vegetable oils or from microbial growth (biosurfactants). Even if biosurfactant production in a wide scale is not economically viable, it is possible to induce microbial growth and biosurfactant production using growth media based on cheap substrates, such as residues from agriculture or food industries. In addition, production is effectively cheaper if more than one biotechnological product can be extracted from a single process. Taking into account that biosurfactants produced by Bacillus subtilis are excreted into the growth medium, a great quantity of microbial biomass, containing lipids and proteins, which correspond to extra raw material that can be recycled, for instance, to compose a medium or for additional applications. For example, considering the lipids that are also present in the biomass, another important application would be for synthesis of biodiesel, an alternative that is currently been used mainly from the biomass of microalgae. Therefore, taking into consideration the importance of biosurfactants for chemical processes and for bioremediation; the importance of microbial biomass as a source of bio-oil and several other bio-products; the potential of these residues for the synthesis of biodiesel and of new surfactants, using amino acids and fatty acids that are present in the biomass; the potential to recycle side products from the synthesis of biodiesel, from food production and from microbial growth; we present this project with the aim to determine the best growth conditions for B. subtilis in a sustainable way, aiming at the production of biomass and biosurfactant synthesis.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ETCHEGARAY, AUGUSTO; COUTTE, FRANCOIS; CHATAIGNE, GABRIELLE; BECHET, MAX; DOS SANTOS, RAMON H. Z.; LECLERE, VALERIE; JACQUES, PHILIPPE. Production of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens OG and its metabolites in renewable media: valorisation for biodiesel production and p-xylene decontamination. Canadian Journal of Microbiology, v. 63, n. 1, p. 46-60, JAN 2017. (13/20570-6, 11/13174-1)