Applications of surface active compounds by Gordonia in bioremediation and washing of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil

Recently we isolated two Gordonia sp. strains able to produce two different types of SACs (Surface-active compounds): extracellular bioemulsan(s), able to produce stable emulsions but not to reduce surface tension, and biosurfactant(s), able to reduce Surface tension. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potentialities of the strains and their synthesised products in bioremediation and soil washing technologies. Microcosm bioremediation experiments were carried Out with aliphatic hydrocarbon contaminated soil, while batch soil washing experiments were carried out with crude oil contaminated soil. Bioremediation results showed that the bioemulsan is able to reduce final concentration of recalcitrant branched hydrocarbons. On the other hand, results from soil-washing experiments demonstrated that the bioemulsan effectively removes crude oil from soil. Overall results are encouraging for a field scale application of SACs by Gordonia in soil remediation.