Produção de biossurfactante comercial por Candida lipolytica UCP 0998 cultivada em resíduos agroindustriais para aplicação na indústria de petróleo e metais pesados

Abstract

Surfactants are amphipathic powerful agents with application in various industries, especially in the oil industry. Many types of chemically synthesized surfactants are used today, although the development of alternative products, biodegradable and less toxic as the so-called biosurfactants agents obtained by microbiological route, becomes an important strategy to achieve products adequate for use in the environment, and with specific properties and applications. Many biosurfactants have been produced, although few are marketed due to the high production cost involved in obtaining these compounds, especially as regards the use of expensive substrates and purification processes. In this sense, this project proposed studies directed towards maximizing the production of a low cost biosurfactant for application in environments contaminated by petroleum derivates and heavy metals. Experiments were conducted to maximize the production of the biosurfactant from Candida lipolytica UCP0988 cultivated on 5% animal fat and 2.5%corn steep liquor using a 23 full factorial design. The effects and interactions of the agitation speed (200, 300 and 400rpm), the variables aeration (0, 1 and 2vvm) and time of cultivation (48, 96 and 144h) on the surface tension, yield and biomass were evaluated. The results showed that the variable time of cultivation had positive influence on the production of biosurfactant, while the increase of the variables aeration and agitation showed a negative effect. This study investigated the large-scale production, characterization, evaluation of toxicity and economic analysis of the biosurfactant produced by Candida lipolytica UCP 0988 grown in amedium containing 5% animal fat and 2.5% corn steep liquor. The kinetics of biosurfactant production was described. The biosurfactant producedin the stationary growth phaseunder agitation of 200rpm andin the absence of aeration reducedthe surface tension of the medium to 28mN/m after 96 h, yielding 10.0 g/L ofisolated biosurfactant in a 2 L bioreactor. The production was maximized in a 50 L bioreactor, reaching 40 g/L biosurfactant and 25 mN/m. The cell biomasswas quantifiedand characterizedfor usein animal nutrition. Chemical structures of the biosurfactant were identified using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The crude biosurfactant was not toxic to the bivalve Anomalocardia brasiliana, to the microcrustacean Artemia salina, or three species of vegetables seeds. The formulated biosurfactant was also not toxic to the fish Poecilia vivipara. The addition of the biosurfactant to seawater stimulated the degradation of motor oil via the activity of the indigenous microorganisms. In tests carried out with seawater, the crude biosurfactant demonstrated 80% oil spreading efficiency in the screening dispersion test. Regarding the swirling bottle test, the dispersion rate was 50% for the isolated biosurfactant at a concentration twice the critical micelle concentration. The biosurfactant proved to be efficient in detergency tests, as it removed 70% of motor oil from contaminated cotton cloth. Application for the removal of heavy metals demonstrated that the crude biosurfactant removed 30 to 40% of Cu and Pb from standard sand, while the isolated biosurfactant removed approximately 30% of the heavy metals. The HCl solution tested removed 60 to 50% of Cu, Pb and Zn and greatly increased the removal of metals when used together with the biosurfactant. The conductivity of the solutions containing Cd and Pb was sharply reduced by the biosurfactant. To provide a commercial surfactant, the biosurfactant was subjected to a preservation method based on the addition of 0.2% potassium sorbate over 120 days to estimate the validity of the product to be offered to the market. The formulated biosurfactant was analysed for emulsification and surface tension under different pH values, temperatures and the addition of NaCl. The results showed that the formulation did not cause significant changes in the tensoactive capacity of the biomolecule, indicating the possibility of its use in specific environmental conditions. The biosurfactant from C. lipolytica demonstrated versatility as a bioremediation agent of organic and inorganic pollutants as well as potential for industrial application as a stable, safe commercial agent.