A facile procedure of remediation for oily waste with rhamnolipid biosurfactant

A facile remediation procedure of mousse oil waste was carried out by using rhamnolipids as the bioemulsifiers. Rhamnolipids (1 g/l) converted mousse oil into the O/W type emulsion. Deemulsification was successively achieved as a result of an pH-adjustment to 4.0 or ferrous sulfate addition (100 mg/ l). Most of the oil could be recovered by decantation and suction from the deemulsified mixture. The remnant aqueous layer containing some percent of oil was remediated by rhamnolipids-assisted biodegradation. The final level s of oil and rhamnolipids of the aqueous layer after a series of procedures were under the detectable level.