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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Harnessing the Potential of Biosurfactants for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applications
ClearHarnessing the Potential of Biosurfactants for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applications
This review examines biosurfactants, which are naturally produced compounds with potential applications in medicine and pharmaceuticals, including antimicrobial, anticancer, and drug delivery uses. Researchers found that biosurfactants offer advantages over synthetic alternatives due to their biodegradability and lower toxicity. The study highlights their promise as coating agents for medical devices and as components in sustainable personal care products.
Advancing bioremediation: biosurfactants as catalysts for sustainable remediation
This review examines how biosurfactants, natural cleaning agents produced by microorganisms, can help break down stubborn pollutants including microplastics. Unlike synthetic chemicals, biosurfactants are biodegradable and less toxic, making them a greener option for environmental cleanup. The research suggests these biological tools could play an important role in reducing microplastic contamination in soil and water, potentially lowering human exposure over time.
Microbial Surfactants: The Next Generation Multifunctional Biomolecules for Applications in the Petroleum Industry and Its Associated Environmental Remediation
This review examines microbial biosurfactants as environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic surfactants used in the petroleum industry and environmental remediation. Researchers found that biosurfactants offer comparable performance to synthetic versions while being biodegradable and less toxic. The study highlights the potential for these biomolecules to reduce pollution from industrial processes, including addressing hydrocarbon and plastic contamination in the environment.
Biodegradation of Plastics: The role of biosurfactant-producing bacteria in environmental remediation
This review examined the role of biosurfactant-producing bacteria in plastic biodegradation, finding that biosurfactants enhance bioavailability of hydrophobic polyethylene and polypropylene surfaces, potentially accelerating microbial degradation—offering a promising biotechnological strategy for environmental plastic pollution remediation.
Potential of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in green biosurfactant production
This review examines the potential of the bacterium Stenotrophomonas maltophilia to produce biosurfactants — compounds that can help break down plastic pollution and oil contamination in the environment. Biosurfactants from this microbe may support bioremediation strategies for plastic-contaminated soils and water.
Microbial Biopolymers: From Production to Environmental Applications—A Review
This review summarizes how biopolymers made by bacteria, fungi, and algae can serve as eco-friendly replacements for synthetic plastics in applications like wastewater treatment and soil cleanup. These natural materials can filter, absorb, and break down pollutants, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional methods. The research is relevant to the microplastics problem because replacing synthetic polymers with biodegradable ones could reduce plastic pollution at the source.
Applications of Biopolymers in Bioengineering: A Comprehensive Review
This comprehensive review covers the wide range of biopolymers — natural, biodegradable polymers from living organisms — and their applications in bioengineering, including drug delivery, tissue engineering, and packaging. Biopolymers are presented as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics that could help reduce microplastic generation.
Compounds of Marine Origin with Possible Applications as Healing Agents
This paper is not relevant to microplastics research; it reviews bioactive compounds from marine organisms and their potential applications in wound healing and cosmetic formulations, with no focus on plastic contamination.
Valorization of Biopolymers in Sustainable Material Development
This research evaluates the potential of biopolymers such as polysaccharides, proteins, and microbial polymers as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. The study highlights how conventional plastics contribute to microplastic contamination in biological systems and examines how biopolymer valorization could help address ecological degradation from persistent plastic waste.
Multifunctional Application of Biopolymers and Biomaterials
This paper is not about microplastics; it is a broad review of multifunctional applications of biopolymers and biomaterials across medicine, packaging, and engineering.
Microplastics (MPs) in Cosmetics: A Review on Their Presence in Personal-Care, Cosmetic, and Cleaning Products (PCCPs) and Sustainable Alternatives from Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers
This review documents how microplastics are widely used in personal care products, cosmetics, and cleaning supplies as exfoliants, film formers, and texture enhancers. These products wash down the drain and contribute to environmental microplastic pollution, which can ultimately cycle back to humans through contaminated water and food.
Microbial Surfactants: The Next Generation Multifunctional Biomolecules for Diverse Applications
This review covers microbial biosurfactants including rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, and surfactin, highlighting their production from bacteria and fungi and their advantages over synthetic surfactants including biodegradability, low toxicity, and stability across varied environmental conditions.
Rhamnolipid: nature-based solution for the removal of microplastics from the aquatic environment
Researchers investigated the potential of rhamnolipid, a naturally produced biosurfactant, for removing microplastics from water. They found that rhamnolipid was effective at binding to and separating microplastic particles from aqueous solutions. The study presents a nature-based, biodegradable approach for addressing microplastic contamination in aquatic environments.
Effects and applications of surfactants on the release, removal, fate, and transport of microplastics in aquatic ecosystem: a review
Researchers reviewed how surfactants interact with microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that surfactants can modify microplastic surface properties and influence their removal during wastewater treatment processes like filtration, flotation, and coagulation. The study suggests that surfactant concentration is a crucial factor affecting both the transport and the pollutant-carrying capacity of microplastics in water systems.
Innovative Approaches to an Eco-Friendly Cosmetic Industry: A Review of Sustainable Ingredients
This review examines sustainable alternatives to conventional cosmetic ingredients, including plant-based, microbial, and recycled materials that could replace synthetic and potentially harmful components. While not directly about microplastics, cosmetic microbeads have been a significant source of microplastic pollution, and the push for eco-friendly ingredients helps reduce plastic particles entering waterways. The shift toward sustainable cosmetics is part of broader efforts to decrease human exposure to synthetic microparticles.
Microplastics in Cosmetics: Open Questions and Sustainable Opportunities
This review examines the role of microplastics in cosmetic products and the industry's transition toward sustainable alternatives as regulations tighten worldwide. Researchers surveyed the properties that make plastic particles useful in cosmetics, such as texture and appearance enhancement, alongside their environmental drawbacks. The study provides an overview of emerging bio-based and biodegradable replacement materials that could help the personal care industry eliminate microplastics from formulations.
D-Limonene: Promising and Sustainable Natural Bioactive Compound
This review covers D-limonene, a natural compound found in citrus essential oils, which shows promise as an antimicrobial and anti-parasitic agent that could replace some synthetic chemicals. While not directly about microplastics, the development of natural bioactive alternatives is relevant to reducing reliance on plastic-packaged chemical products and their associated environmental contamination.
Chitosan/Alginate-Based Nanoparticles for Antibacterial Agents Delivery
This review examines how nanoparticles made from chitosan and alginate (natural sugar-based materials) can deliver antibacterial drugs more effectively by improving how the drugs dissolve and how long they stay active. While not directly about microplastics, these biodegradable nanoparticle systems could offer alternatives to plastic-based drug delivery methods, reducing reliance on synthetic plastics in medicine.
Natural and Natural-Based Polymers: Recent Developments in Management of Emerging Pollutants
This review explores how natural and bio-based polymers can be used to remove a range of emerging pollutants from water, including microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides. It highlights natural materials as sustainable, cost-effective alternatives to synthetic adsorbents and aligns with green chemistry principles. The work is relevant to microplastics in that it frames them as part of a broader emerging contaminant problem and explores biopolymer-based solutions for water purification.
Effect of biosurfactants on the transport of polyethylene microplastics in saturated porous media
This study examined how biosurfactants -- surface-active compounds produced by microorganisms -- affect the transport of polyethylene microplastics through saturated porous media. Biosurfactants altered microplastic surface charge and mobility, generally enhancing transport through soil-like media, with implications for assessing the risk of microplastic groundwater contamination following soil remediation treatments.
Challenges and opportunities in bioremediation of micro-nano plastics: A review.
This review examines biological approaches to removing micro- and nanoplastics from the environment, focusing on microbial degradation and bioremediation strategies. While bioremediation holds promise, challenges remain in identifying microbes capable of degrading common plastic types and scaling these processes for practical environmental cleanup.
Microbial-Derived Biopolymers: A Pathway to Sustainable Civil Engineering
This review examines microbial-derived biopolymers and their potential applications in civil engineering as sustainable alternatives to conventional materials. Researchers surveyed the types of biopolymers available, their properties, and current uses in construction and infrastructure. The study suggests that these nature-friendly materials could help reduce dependence on petroleum-based plastics and contribute to sustainable development goals, though their adoption in civil engineering remains limited.
Microbial degradation of contaminants of emerging concern: metabolic, genetic and omics insights for enhanced bioremediation
This review covers how microorganisms have evolved the ability to break down emerging pollutants including plasticizers, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides, turning them into less harmful substances. Understanding the genes, enzymes, and metabolic pathways these microbes use could lead to cost-effective, eco-friendly cleanup methods for removing persistent contaminants -- including plastic-derived chemicals -- from the environment before they reach people.
Biodegradable Polymers: The Future of Sustainable Plastic Alternatives
This review examines biodegradable polymers as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, evaluating their potential to reduce microplastic pollution and ecological degradation. The authors assess the performance, environmental fate, and scalability of current biodegradable materials, identifying key challenges for widespread adoption across packaging and consumer product applications.