Production of lipopeptides by bioreaction separation coupling

The lipopeptide Surfactin produced by Bacillus subtilis is one of the most widely studied biosurfactants because of its high biotechnological and therapeutical significance. Surfactin has several advantages over the chemically synthesized surfactants such as lower toxicity, higher biodegradability and biocompatibility. In view of Surfactin production, we propose a new approach integrating the fermentation process with micro-filtration and adsorption. The adsorption column, designed as a fixed bed activated carbon reactor, recovers the Surfactin and eliminates the foam formation. Moreover, the adsorption step reduces the concentration in the effluent so that it does not exceed permissible limit