High mono-rhamnolipids production by a novel isolate Pseudomonas aeruginosa LP20 from oily sludge: characterization, optimization, and potential application

Abstract This study aims to isolate microbial strains for producing mono-rhamnolipids with high proportion. Oily sludge is rich in petroleum and contains diverse biosurfactant-producing strains. A biosurfactant-producing strain LP20 was isolated from oily sludge, identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry results indicated that biosurfactants produced from LP20 were rhamnolipids, mainly containing Rha-C8-C10, Rha-C10-C10, Rha-Rha-C8-C10, Rha-Rha-C10-C10, Rha-C10-C12:1, and Rha-C10-C12. Interestingly, more mono-rhamnolipids were produced by strain LP20 with a relative abundance of 64.5%. Pseudomonas aeruginosa LP20 optimally produced rhamnolipids at a pH of 7.0 and a salinity of 0.1% using glycerol and nitrate. The culture medium for rhamnolipids by strain LP20 was optimized by response surface methodology. LP20 produced rhamnolipids up to 6.9 g L−1, increased by 116%. Rhamnolipids produced from LP20 decreased the water surface tension to 28.1 mN m−1 with a critical micelle concentration of 60 mg L−1. The produced rhamnolipids emulsified many hydrocarbons with EI24 values higher than 56% and showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Cladosporium sp. with inhibition rates 48.5% and 17.9%, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa LP20 produced more proportion of mono-rhamnolipids, and the LP20 rhamnolipids exhibited favorable activities and promising potential in microbial-enhanced oil recovery, bioremediation, and agricultural biocontrol.