Enhanced remediation of water, soils and wastes using biosurfactants

生物表面活性剂具有生物可降解性、低毒性和促进低溶解度化合物的生物降解和增溶作用等优点，在环境工业中有着广阔的应用前景。在加强生物修复、冲洗和洗涤被碳氢化合物和/或金属污染的土壤和水方面进行了各种试验。较新的应用与改进修复技术（如纳米技术）有关。其他工业应用也将被研究，例如与石油工业有关的应用。例如，管理来自油砂的细尾矿是一个重大挑战。尾矿的致密化可能需要一个世纪。用这些生物降解剂加速细尾的沉降，可以提高水的回用和池塘的复垦。此外，为了提高该工艺的经济性，将对生物表面活性剂的原位生产进行研究和优化。石油泄漏被认为是迄今为止最具挑战性的环境问题之一。由于自然清理过程非常缓慢，许多清理技术，包括机械、生物和化学处理，已经被实践来控制和尽量减少泄漏对环境的负面影响。研究了生物表面活性剂sophorol磷脂（一类新型生物表面活性剂）的胞外添加在石油污染海水的分散和生物降解中的潜在应用。此外，为了提高该工艺的经济性，还将对生物表面活性剂的原位生产进行研究和优化。生物表面活性剂也被用于去除土壤和沉积物中的重金属。本研究将继续评价鼠李糖脂对六价铬和另一种阴离子污染物砷的去除和还原作用。此外，以前已经确定表面活性剂可以以泡沫的形式引入。这增强了表面活性剂在固体中的流动性。纳米材料也被用于提取或稳定污染固体介质中的金属。因此，将评估泡沫注入与纳米材料（金属氧化物）的组合，以确保纳米材料在土壤基质中的稳定性和设施流动性。研究目标包括：评价生物表面活性剂对油砂尾矿沉降的影响，评价对溢油分散的影响，以及评价生物表面活性剂对纳米颗粒应用的影响。这些方法将导致更好地理解生物表面活性剂的应用，以生态友好的方式修复和保护环境。

Biosurfactant applications in the environmental industries are promising due to their biodegradability, low toxicity and effectiveness in enhancing biodegradation and solubilization of low solubility compounds. A variety of tests have been performed with regards to enhanced bioremediation, flushing and washing of soils and water contaminated with hydrocarbons and/or metals. Newer applications are related to enhancement of remediation techniques such as nanotechnology. Other industrial applications will be investigated such as related to the oil industry. For example, management of fine tailings from the oil sands is a major challenge. Densification of the tailings may take a century. Accelerating the fine tails sedimentation with these biodegradable agents could improve water reuse and pond reclamation. In addition, in an effort to enhance the economics of the process, in situ production of the biosurfactants will be studied and optimized. Oil spills have been considered to be one of the most challenging environmental issues to date. As natural cleanup processes are very slow, a number of cleanup techniques including mechanical, biological, and chemical based treatments have been practiced to control and minimize the negative impact of spills on the environment. The potential application of extracellular addition of biosurfactant sophorolipid (a new class of biosurfactants) on dispersion and biodegradation of oil-contaminated seawater will be investigated. In addition, in an effort to enhance the economics of the process, in situ production of the biosurfactants will be studied and optimized for this application also. Biosurfactants have also been used to remove heavy metals from soil and sediments. This work will be continued to evaluate the use of rhamnolipid for the removal and reduction of hexavalent chromium and another anionic contaminant, arsenic from mining residues by rhamnolipids. In addition it has been previously determined that the surfactants can be introduced in the form of foams. This enhanced the mobility of the surfactants through the soid. Nanomaterials are also being evaluated for the extraction or stabilization of metals within the contaminated solid media. Therefore a combination of foam injection with nanomaterials (metal oxides) will be evaluated to ensure the stability and facility mobility of the nanomaterials within the soil matrix. The objectives of the research will include: Evaluation of the effect of biosurfactants on oil sand tailings sedimentation, evaluation of the effect on oil spill dispersion, and evaluation of the effect of biosurfactants on nanoparticle applications. These approaches will lead to a better understanding of the applications of biosurfactants to remediate and protect the environment in an ecofriendly manner.