Characterization of a biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas cepacia CCT6659 in the presence of industrial wastes and its application in the biodegradation of hydrophobic compounds in soil

The bacterium Pseudomonas cepacia CCT6659 cultivated with 2% soybean waste frying oil and 2% corn steep liquor as substrates produced a biosurfactant with potential application in the bioremediation of soils. The biosurfactant was classified as an anionic biomolecule composed of 75% lipids and 25% carbohydrates. Characterization by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H and 13C NMR) revealed the presence of carbonyl, olefinic and aliphatic groups, with typical spectra of lipids. Four sets of biodegradation experiments were carried out with soil contaminated by hydrophobic organic compounds amended with molasses in the presence of an indigenous consortium, as follows: Set 1—soil + bacterial cells; Set 2—soil + biosurfactant; Set 3—soil + bacterial cells + biosurfactant; and Set 4—soil without bacterial cells or biosurfactant (control). Significant oil biodegradation activity (83%) occurred in the first 10 days of the experiments when the biosurfactant and bacterial cells were used together (Set 3), while maximum degradation of the organic compounds (above 95%) was found in Sets 1–3 between 35 and 60 days. It is evident from the results that the biosurfactant alone and its producer species are both capable of promoting biodegradation to a large extent.