Advancing bioremediation: biosurfactants as catalysts for sustainable remediation

Emerging contaminants such as persistent organic pollutants, perfluorinated compounds, and microplastics pose unparallel challenges to environmental health and current remediation techniques. Microbial biosurfactants, biodegradable compounds produced by microorganisms, have gained attention as eco-friendly alternatives for degrading recalcitrant pollutants. Unlike traditional chemical surfactants, biosurfactants offer the dual benefit of being derived from renewable resources while enhancing the solubility and bioavailability of hydrophobic contaminants. This review is novel in its comprehensive exploration of microbial biosurfactants as a one-step solution for tackling the most persistent environmental pollutants. It introduces recent advancements in metabolic engineering and alternative fermentation strategies that have significantly improved biosurfactant production. Furthermore, the review critically examines the current limitations, including high production costs and complex downstream processing, and proposes cutting-edge approaches to overcome these barriers, such as the use of low-cost feedstocks and integrated bioprocessing techniques. Beyond their established uses, this review also sheds light on their untapped potential in heavy metal removal and microplastic degradation areas that have received little attention. By emphasizing these novel applications and outlining pathways for large-scale production, this review offers valuable insights into how biosurfactants could play a transformative role in sustainable environmental remediation.