Professor Ibrahim M. BANAT, Professor of Microbial Biotechnology at Ulster University, UK.
Has >35 years' experience in academic & research institutions in Europe and internationally.
His research interests include biosurfactant, bioenergy and bio-actives, production and utilization in environmental oil pollution control and bioremediation, and microbial enhanced oil recovery. He is also recently concentrating on investigating biomedical, pharmaceutical, health and cosmetics related applications of biosurfactants.
To date Prof. Banat has >350 publications (H-Index = 102) and >47,000 citation according to google scholar
http://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=YwfP5SYAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Microbial Biosurfactants: Trends and Potential Application in Environmental, Agricultural, and Biomedical Industries
Professor Ibrahim M. Banat, BSc, PhD, DSc, FRSB
School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
Abstract
Microbial biosurfactants are naturally occurring surface active molecules capable of partitioning at interphases reducing surface and interfacial tensions between different phases (gas, liquid and solid). They can also act as foaming emulsification and wetting agents that have low critical micelle concentrations and surface-tension reduction capabilities. These compounds can potentially replace chemical surfactants which typically are more recalcitrant and problematic compounds to the environment. Glycolipidic and lipopeptides biosurfactants are the most promising types including sophorolipids produced by yeasts strains such as Starmerella and Candida, rhamnolipids produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria and other related species, mannosylerythritol lipids produced by Pseudozyma yeasts and surfactin produced produced by the Bacilli bacteria group. Global interest in biosurfactants has been steadily increasing during the past three decades mainly stimulated by their favorable surfactant characteristics and environmentally friendly features including sustainable production technologies, biodegradability, and lower toxicity when compared to their chemical counterparts. Their main potential applications include use in/as environmental oil cleanup agents, combating agricultural phytopathogens as biopesticide particles, dispersants and/or solubilizing molecules for hydrophobic pollutants, use as components in both domestic and industrial cleaning products, anti-microbial adjuvants and as emulsifiers or probiotic compounds in food products. In addition, several medical and pharmaceutical applications including cosmeceuticals as anti-aging, oral hygiene products, wound-healing agents and in dermatological products, have been described. This presentation will discuss biosurfactants current trends, potential future applications, and challenges in the areas of environmental, agricultural, and biomedical related industries.