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Surfactants, named for their behavior at interfaces, positively adsorb at the interfaces of two phases, reducing interfacial tension. Their versatility as emulsifiers, detergents, and foaming agents stems from this ability. Surfactants, often termed amphiphiles, share the property of amphipathy, with molecules having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions. The hydrophilic part is called the head, and the hydrophobic part, including an elongated alkyl substituent, forms the tail.Surfactants...

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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants

Published on: June 3, 2022

Microbial surfactants and their potential applications: an overview.

Ashis K Mukherjee¹, Kishore Das

¹Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Tezpur-784 028, Assam, India. akm@tezu.ernet.in

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

|June 16, 2010

Summary

Microbial surfactants, also known as biosurfactants, are diverse molecules with surface-active properties. This review explores their biochemical characteristics and broad industrial and environmental applications.

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Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Microbiology
Environmental Science

Background:

Biosurfactants are amphipathic molecules produced by microorganisms.
They exhibit significant surface and interfacial tension reduction capabilities.
These compounds are structurally diverse and heterogeneous.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the biochemical properties of various microbial surfactant classes.
To explore the potential applications of biosurfactants in diverse industrial sectors.

Main Methods:

Literature review of biochemical properties.
Analysis of industrial and environmental applications.

Main Results:

Detailed examination of different biosurfactant structural classes.
Identification of a wide spectrum of industrial and environmental uses.

Conclusions:

Biosurfactants possess versatile biochemical attributes.
Significant potential exists for their application across multiple industries.