Isolating biosurfactant-producing bacteria from composting and their prospective application in composting

Microorganisms play an important role in composting of municipal solid waste, while biosurfactant produced by the certain microorganisms may potentially improve this micro-environment and enhance solid waste composting. The study was performed to isolate biosurfactant-producing bacteria from composting at different temperatures, 45°C and 55°C. Biosurfactant's production was determined by measuring the surface tension of fermentation. Experimental results indicated that there really were biosurfactant-producing bacteria, and Bacillus subtilis were the dominant biosurfactant-producing bacteria during composting. In addition, through optimizing the culture medium, the isolated bacteria produced strong activity and high concentration biosurfactant. In the end, the prospective application of the isolated bacteria and the biosurfactants in municipal solid waste were proposed.