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Updated: Oct 3, 2025

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants
Published on: June 3, 2022
Phase Behaviour, Functionality, and Physicochemical Characteristics of Glycolipid Surfactants of Microbial Origin
Karina Sałek1, Stephen R Euston2, Tomasz Janek3
1Institute for Life and Earth Sciences, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Growing demand for biosurfactants as environmentally friendly counterparts of chemically derived surfactants enhances the extensive search for surface-active compounds of biological (microbial) origin. The understanding of the physicochemical properties of biosurfactants such as surface tension reduction, dispersion, emulsifying, foaming or micelle formation is essential for the successful application of biosurfactants in many branches of industry. Glycolipids, which belong to the class of low molecular weight surfactants are currently gaining a lot of interest for industrial applications. For this reason, we focus mainly on this class of biosurfactants with particular emphasis on rhamnolipids and sophorolipids, the most studied of the glycolipids.
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