Biosurfactant Shows Promise in Degradating Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons in Agricultural Soils

Strategic Insights -

Research led by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has shed light on the potential of a lipopeptide biosurfactant to degrade polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in different agricultural soils under various environmental conditions. The study, which has been peer-reviewed, found that the biosurfactant produced from Lysinibacillus sp. MW444883 was effective in degrading PAHs such as naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene in soils collected from Delhi and Jharkhand agricultural fields.

Key Takeaways:

  • The lipopeptide biosurfactant was optimised under conditions of 27°C and 150 rpm, resulting in a yield of 2.65 g/l.
  • The oil dispersion varied from 6 to 8.5 cm, with degradation and half-life of PAHs in inceptisol soils ranging from 1.16 to 22.5 days.
  • The biosurfactant showed enhanced dehydrogenase and carbon dioxide levels, with values ranging from 9.6 to 45.1 μg TPF g-1 soil h-1 and 146.6 to 401.4 mg kg-1 d-1, respectively.
  • The study demonstrated the effectiveness of the lipopeptide biosurfactant in degrading PAHs in different agricultural soils under various environmental conditions.
  • The research team included Ashwini Yadav, Arti Bhatia, Neera Singh, Eldho Varghese, and Kaushik Banerjee, with Ashish Khandelwal as the corresponding author.

Statistics:

  • 2.65 g/l: The yield of lipopeptide biosurfactant produced under optimised conditions.
  • 20.8-100%: The range of naphthalene degradation by the biosurfactant.
  • 5.6-14.4 days: The range of half-life of fluorene in soils.
  • 146.6-401.4 mg kg-1 d-1: The range of carbon dioxide levels in soils treated with the biosurfactant.

Sources:

  • Current Science, 2025;129(1):54-62.
  • Indian Acad Sciences, C V Raman Avenue, Sadashivanagar, P B #8005, Bangalore 560 080, India.
  • Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Division of Environmental Sciences, New Delhi 110012, India.