title: Environmental applications of biosurfactants: recent advances.
abstract: Increasing public awareness of environmental pollution influences the search and development of technologies that help in clean up of organic and inorganic contaminants such as hydrocarbons and metals. An alternative and eco-friendly method of remediation technology of environments contaminated with these pollutants is the use of biosurfactants and biosurfactant-producing microorganisms. The diversity of biosurfactants makes them an attractive group of compounds for potential use in a wide variety of industrial and biotechnological applications. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of advances in the applications of biosurfactants and biosurfactant-producing microorganisms in hydrocarbon and metal remediation technologies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Silesian University, Jagiellońska 28 street, 40-032 Katowice, Poland; E-Mails: mpacwa@us.edu.pl (M.P.-P.); zofia.piotrowska-seget@us.edu.pl (Z.P.-S.).
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pacwa-Płociniczak
authors.forename: Grażyna A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Płaza
authors.forename: Zofia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Piotrowska-Seget
authors.forename: Swaranjit Singh
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Cameotra
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D013501:Surface-Active Agents