There is world wide concern about the liberation of hydrocarbons in the environment, both from industrial activities and from accidental spills of oil and oil-related compounds. Biosurfactants, which are natural emulsifiers of hydrocarbons, are produced by some bacteria, fungi and yeast. They are polymers, totally or partially extracellular, with an amphipathyc structure, which allows them to f...

BACKGROUND Sulfur oxides released from the burning of oil causes severe environmental pollution. The sulfur can be removed via the 4S pathway in biodesulfurization (BDS). Immobilization approaches have been developed to prevent cell contamination of oil during the BDS process. OBJECTIVES The encapsulation of Rhodococcus erythropolis R1 in calcium alginate beads was studied in order to enhance...

Biodegradation of phenol is a major focus of toxic organic compound degradation by microorganisms isolated from polluted areas. An increasing number of bacteria and fungi possessing unique biodegradation capabilities have been isolated in recent years. In this study a new isolate, Rhodococcus erythropolis SKO-1, from polluted soils in the Tehran oil refinery region, is reported. Identificati...