US-Egypt Cooperative Research: Microbial Production of a Biosurfactant Exhibiting Excellent Emulsification and Surface Active Properties

Cornell Univ - State: Awds Made Prior May 2010, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

0225983 Zinder Description: This award is to support a collaborative project between Dr. Stephen Zinder, Department of Microbiology at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York and a team of Egyptian scientists that includes Dr. Hany Hussein, Dr. Ahmed Gaballa, and Dr. Yasser Abd Elfattah, of Mubarak City for Scientific Research and Technology Applications in Alexandria, Egypt. The main objective of this research is to isolate the most potent microbial cultures capable of producing bioemulsifier. The investigators plan also to study methods for optimization of the production process through the study of the different environmental conditions and by assessing the influence of different carbon and nitrogen limitations on surfactant productivity. The investigators will isolate the most potent microbial cultures capable of producing biodegradable surfactants from the ecosystem. Samples will be collected from different parts of Egypt and the microbes capable of producing biosurfactants will be isolated and characterized. They also plan to examine the use of these optimized production processes to produce the biosurfactant on a large scale. It is expected that a fermentation process will have a key role in improving the economics of the overall process in biosurfactant production. Scope: Surfactants are surface-active compounds capable of reducing surface and interfacial tension at the interface between liquids, solids and gases, thereby allowing them to mix or disperse readily as emulsions in water or other liquids. The topic of biosurfactants is highly relevant to Egypt where sustaining the environment is a high priority. Discovering microbes that produce surfactants would have a very desirable impact on society and on the environment. A number of experiments are proposed, calling for expertise over a wide area. Drs. Zinder, Hussein, Gaballa and Abdel Fattah have the disciplinary experiences needed for this research. This project is being supported under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program, which provides grants to scientists and engineers in both countries to carry out these cooperative activities.