Abstract
This study highlights the use of low-cost agro-industrial raw material - date molasses for fermentative production of biosurfactants. Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is the primary crop in Oman, which shares 82% of all fruit crops production in the country. When date molasses was used as the sole carbon and energy source for biosurfactant production using Bacillus subtilis B20, a product yield of 2.29 ± 0.38 g/l was obtained. The biosurfactant reduced surface tension and interfacial tension from 60 to 25 mN/m to 27 and 5.02 mN/m respectively. It also showed significant stability under a wide range of temperatures, pH and salt concentrations. Additional 9.7% oil was recovered through core-flood studies, accessing the potential of biosurfactant to enhance oil recovery under reservoir conditions. Current studies showed date molasses could be suitable for use in the production of biosurfactant and it has the potential for use in enhancing oil recovery.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 141-146 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation |
Volume | 81 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2013 |
Keywords
- Biosurfactant
- Date molasses
- Enhanced oil recovery
- Interfacial tension
- Surface tension
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology
- Biomaterials
- Waste Management and Disposal