Rhamnolipids produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the adsorption of mercury in soil contaminated by incorrect disposal of batteries

• Grant number: 23/02865-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Renato Nallin Montagnolli
• Grantee: Guilherme Augusto Geraldo
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Agrárias (CCA). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Araras , SP, Brazil

Abstract

With technological advances, the use of batteries has grown over the years and after the pandemic period, the projection is that it will grow by up to 6% from 2022 to 2027, thus the concern with the incorrect disposal of this electronic waste is highlighted by its environmental impact due to the release of heavy metals, such as mercury, considered toxic to the environment, animals and human health. The rhamnolipid, produced by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, has surfactant potential capable of adsorbing the heavy metal, thus reducing its environmental and human impact, but there are still few works on this mercury adsorption technique. Therefore, this work proposes the development of a more economical way to produce the biosurfactant that is effective in solving the environmental problem caused by batteries. Thus, this work will evaluate the biosurfactant production process using sugarcane molasses, a low-cost industrial product, as a carbon source. The effectiveness of these surfactants produced by P. aeruginosa on the adsorptive capacity of mercury available in the soil will be analyzed.