Application of biosurfactants as remediation option in the bioremediation of synthetic dyes.

Synthetic dyes are among the major environmental pollutants and are generally considered recalcitrant and persistent organic compounds owing to their complex chemical structures, strong resistance to biodegradation and ability to bioaccumulate in living tissue. As a result, chemical industries contribute significantly to environmental pollution, which disrupts natural equilibrium and endangers the biodiversity of plants, animals and microorganisms. Therefore, there is growing interest in removing synthetic dyes from both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Numerous physico-chemical, biological and combined approaches have been developed for this purpose. Using biosurfactants for dye biosorption and/or enhancing biological dye treatment appears to be a promising option for achieving this goal. Biosurfactants are surface-active substances produced by microbial strains. To identify new microbial strains that produce biosurfactants, various screening techniques have been developed. They are distinguished by a great deal of structural diversity as well as a wide range of biological and functional activities.