Effect of rhamnolipid broth on vegetable substrate biodegradation process

Biosurfactants produced by particular microbial strains have been proved to be able to enhance the bioavailability and degradation of hydrocarbon and may potentially enhance solid waste composing. In this paper a contrastive study was performed to validate effect of rhamnolipid broth excreted by a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain on vegetable substrate biodegradation process in two pot batch bioreactors. The parameters that could reflect the degradation process were investigated in the first 240 hours. Experimental results indicated that the degradation of readily degradable substrate by microbes, especially in its middle and latter stage, could be accelerated to some extent at the presence of rhamnolipid broth, and rhamnolipid itself was partially decomposed by the end of the experiment.