title: Biosurfactant production by two isolates ofPseudomonas aeruginosa.
abstract: Two strains of biosurfactant-producing bacteria, identified asPseudomonas aeruginosa, were isolated from injection water and crude oil-associated water in Venezuelan oil fields. Both biosurfactants resembled rhamnolipids and produced stable emulsions of heavy and extra-heavy crude oils, reducing the surface tension of water from 72 to 28 dynes/cm. Tenso-active properties of the biosurfactants were not affected by pH, temperature, salinity or Ca(2+) or Mg(2+) at concentrations in excess of those found in many oil reservoirs in Venezuela.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas (IVIC), Centro de Microbiologia y Biologia Celular, Apartado 21827, 1020A, Caracas, Venezuela.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: San-Blas
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: San-Blas
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vierma