Rhamnolipids commercialization

Many biosurfactants and their productive processes were patented, but only some of them were commercialized. Nowadays, some products based in biosurfactants can be found at the international market, like PD5, produeed by Pendragon Holdings, sold as an addietive for fuels based on a mixture of rhanmolipid biosurfactants and enzymes, EC-601, produced by EcoChem Organics, sold as a dispersive agent of water-insoluble hydrocarbons (rhanmolipids) and the products JBR, of Jeneil Biosurfactant, rhamnolipids in aqueous solutions with different purity degrees or in a semisolid form. 

Similarly, naturally derived surfactants extracted from fermentation broths or prepared by partial hydrolysis of natural extracts can contain polysaccharides, proteins, and phospholipids. For example, rhamnolipids and sophorolipids have unique structural features that cause them to deposit on chemically similar surfaces and modify surface energy even at very low concentrations. Clearly, the emergence of biotechnology in the twenty-first century will drive the development of new surfactants from microbial fermentation, and improve the commercial viability of known surfactants from such processes. 

Rhamnolipids (RLs) are produced through aerobic fermentation using Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Jeneil Biosurfactants, Rhamnolipid Companies Inc., AGAE Technologies LLC are some commercial suppliers of rhamnolipids. 

Rhamnolipids are commercially available from Jeneil Biosurfactant Company, Saukville, Wisconsin, USA. 

Recently, four microbially derived biosurfactants—rhamnolipids, sophoro-lipids, spiculisporic acid and surfactin—are commercially available. Nevertheless, the use of biosurfactants is limited by the cost of production and insufficient experience in applications. However, since there is increasing awareness of water quality and environmental conservation, as well as expanding demand for natural products in cosmetics or in pharmaceutical products, it appears inevitable that high-quality microbially produced biosurfactants will replace the currently used chemical products in many applications outlined above. In addition, in the future chemically or bio-... 

Rhamnolipids have been commercialized by Jeneil Biosurfactant Company, which put a lot of effort into achieving administrative approval of rhamnolipid use as pesticide adjuvants and for poultry hygiene. Aurora Advanced Beauty Labs Inc. has a substantial intellectual property (IP) portfolio in the domain of rhamnolipid use for pharmaceutical applications and announced that it was introducing various cosmetic products such as antiwrinkle creams, moisturisers, beauty treatment products and skin protection ointments. 

The dynamic surface activity of the commercial rhamnolipid mixture JBR425 fi om Jeneil was determined as a function of concentration and time with the maximum bubble pressure method using an online bubble tensiometer (Sita T60). Figure 11.14 highlights the good surfactancy properties of rhamnolipids, with low minimum surface tension and moderate dynamics, meaning a relatively fast decrease of surface tension at new surfaces and low bubble lifetimes. 

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