Biosurfactants: Nature’s Own Detergents
Our most mature line of investigation focuses on biosurfactant‑producing bacteria isolated from oil‑contaminated soils. These microbes secrete surface‑active compounds that emulsify hydrocarbons and enhance the bioavailability of hydrophobic pollutants, making them accessible for microbial degradation. We have characterised glycolipopeptide and glycolipid‑type biosurfactants that form stable emulsions with crude oil and various refined petroleum fractions, retain activity under high salinity, alkalinity, and temperature, and simultaneously exhibit antimicrobial properties. This versatility makes them excellent candidates for enhanced oil recovery, oil‑spill clean‑up, and industrial bioremediation.
Current work is expanding our biosurfactant library by screening extremophilic bacteria and plant‑associated strains, and we are integrating genomics and metabolomics to identify the biosynthetic gene clusters and regulatory networks that control production. The goal is to move from descriptive characterisation to predictive, tunable production, a step that will make biosurfactants economically competitive with synthetic dispersants.
Probiotic‑Mediated Bioremediation and the GRASS Vision
While biosurfactants are a direct tool, we also explore how lactic acid bacteria (LAB) - already valued as probiotics - can be applied to pollution challenges, fully realising the GRASS (Generally Recognized as Safe and Sustainable) concept. Selected LAB strains can biosorb heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic, transform organic pollutants through co‑metabolism, and even adsorb microplastics onto their EPS‑rich surfaces. Ongoing projects in the lab are testing LAB from fermented foods and soil for their ability to remove heavy metals from aqueous solutions, degrade textile dyes, and reduce the toxicity of pesticide residues.
In parallel, we study probiotic‑plant partnerships for soil remediation. Certain LAB and other plant growth‑promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can immobilise metals in the rhizosphere, stimulate the degradation of organic contaminants, and improve soil structure offering a low‑input, nature‑based solution for recovering degraded land.
Microbial Metabolites as Pollution‑Control Agents
Beyond whole cells, we investigate cell‑free metabolites, exopolysaccharides, biosurfactants, enzymes, and organic acids that can act as green chemistries for pollution mitigation. For example, EPS can function as a natural flocculant that captures suspended solids and heavy metals, while hydrolytic enzymes from alkalitolerant bacteria can degrade pesticide residues and industrial dyes. By combining multi‑omics (genomics, glycomics, metabolomics) with classical biochemistry, we aim to identify the most effective metabolite mixtures and develop stable, ready‑to‑use bioremediation formulations.
Join the Effort
If you work on biosurfactants, bioremediation, phytoremediation, or microbial ecology of contaminated sites, and are interested in joint characterization, we welcome your collaboration.
