Microbial Synthesis of Biobased Surfactants

Introduction

Surfactants (surface-active agents) are key ingredients in detergents, personal care, agrochemicals, and pharmaceuticals, helping to emulsify, wet, disperse, and clean. Globally, most surfactants are petroleum-derived, raising concerns about toxicity, non-biodegradability, and fossil dependency.

In response, biobased surfactants—especially those synthesized via microbial fermentation—are emerging as sustainable alternatives. Using renewable feedstocks like sugars, glycerol, and plant oils, engineered microbes such as Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Candida, and Starmerella can produce biosurfactants like rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs), and lipopeptides. These compounds offer high biodegradability, low toxicity, and effectiveness at low concentrations, aligning with green chemistry and circular economy goals.

What Products Are Produced?

• Glycolipids:
• Rhamnolipids – From Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Sophorolipids – From Starmerella bombicola
• Mannosylerythritol Lipids (MELs) – From Candida antarctica
• Lipopeptides:
• Surfactin, fengycin, iturin – From Bacillus subtilis
• Protein-based Surfactants:
• Hydrophobins – From filamentous fungi
• Other Compounds:
• Fatty acid esters, alkyl polyglucosides (APGs) – Engineered microbial routes

Pathways and Production Methods

1. Glycolipid Biosynthesis

a) Rhamnolipids

• Produced by Pseudomonas from glucose, glycerol, or plant oils
• Enzymes: RhlA, RhlB, RhlC synthesize mono- and di-rhamnolipids
• Pathway: Rhamnose + β-hydroxy fatty acids → rhamnolipid

b) Sophorolipids

• Starmerella bombicola uses glucose and fatty acids
• Enzyme complex produces acidic or lactonic forms
• High-yield strains developed via adaptive evolution

2. Lipopeptide Synthesis

• Non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) in Bacillus spp.
• Use of branched-chain amino acids and fatty acid chains
• Produces potent biosurfactants with antimicrobial activity

3. Synthetic Biology Platforms

• CRISPR/Cas9 used to optimize flux toward lipid and sugar precursors
• Pathway transplant into robust hosts like E. coli, Yarrowia lipolytica
• Enables modular surfactant synthesis from various carbon sources

Catalysts and Key Tools Used

Microbial Hosts:

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa – Rhamnolipids
• Starmerella bombicola – Sophorolipids
• Bacillus subtilis – Lipopeptides
• Engineered E. coli, Yarrowia lipolytica, Candida bombicola

Key Enzymes:

• Glycosyltransferases – For sugar-lipid conjugation
• Acyltransferases and esterases
• Non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) – For lipopeptides

Process Enhancers:

• Fed-batch or two-phase fermentation for yield
• Foam fractionation, membrane extraction for cost-effective recovery

Case Study: Sophorolipids from Starmerella bombicola

Highlights

• Fed with glucose and oleic acid, yields up to 400 g/L in bioreactors
• Used in cosmetics, household cleaners, and oil spill remediation
• Developed at pilot scale by Soliance and Saraya (Japan)

Timeline

• 2005 – Wild-type strain optimized for yield
• 2010 – 100 L pilot reactor demonstrated
• 2015 – Cosmetic-grade product enters EU market
• 2023 – Expansion to biosurfactants for industrial degreasers

Global and Indian Startups Working in This Area

Global

• Evonik – Commercial biosurfactants from yeast (rhamnolipids, sophorolipids)
• Holiferm (UK) – Low-cost sophorolipid fermentation
• Allied Carbon Solutions (Japan) – MELs from plant oils via microbes
• Givaudan – Natural surfactants in cosmetics via fermentation

India

• IIT Delhi & CSIR-IIP – Lipopeptide and rhamnolipid production from waste oils
• TERI – Using agro-waste for glycolipid biosurfactants
• Godavari Biorefineries – Exploring surfactant precursors from sugar and glycerol
• IIT Guwahati – Engineering Yarrowia for designer biosurfactants

Market and Demand

The global biosurfactant market was valued at USD 1.9 billion in 2023, projected to reach USD 3.4 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of ~8.5%. Demand is driven by clean-label cosmetics, eco-friendly cleaners, and bio-based industrial formulations.

Major Use Segments:

• Home care – Detergents, dishwashing liquids
• Cosmetics – Creams, shampoos, foaming agents
• Agriculture – Pesticide wetting and dispersing agents
• Oil & gas – Bioremediation, enhanced oil recovery
• Pharma & food – Drug solubilizers, emulsifiers

Key Growth Drivers

• Ban on non-biodegradable surfactants in many countries
• Rise of natural cosmetics and clean-label formulations
• Abundant and low-cost carbon sources like glycerol and agri-waste
• Favorable regulations for biodegradable industrial chemicals
• Interest in bio-based antimicrobial surfactants

Challenges to Address

• Foaming and emulsification during fermentation complicate operations
• Toxicity of biosurfactants to host cells at high titers
• Expensive downstream purification in current systems
• Regulatory hurdles in pharma and food applications
• In India: Need for scale-up and formulation partnerships with FMCG players

Progress Indicators

• 2008–2012 – Strain screening and glycolipid yield enhancement
• 2014 – Commercial use of sophorolipids in cosmetics
• 2018 – Cost-competitive biosurfactants for home care
• 2021 – Pilot-scale biosurfactant unit established in India
• 2024 – Regulatory framework in India for eco-labeled biosurfactants under review

Globally, microbial surfactant production is at TRL 8–9 for glycolipids and TRL 6–7 for complex lipopeptides. In India, most projects are at TRL 4–6, with fermentation and recovery trials ongoing.

Conclusion

Microbial synthesis of biobased surfactants presents a powerful opportunity to transition away from fossil-derived, toxic surfactants toward biodegradable, eco-friendly, and high-performance alternatives. With robust microbial platforms, expanding green markets, and abundant renewable feedstocks, biosurfactants are moving from niche to mainstream.

India, with its thriving bioeconomy, FMCG sector, and bioprocessing capabilities, is well-positioned to be a global hub for next-generation microbial surfactants.

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