Biosurfactants and chemotaxis interplay in microbial consortium-based hydrocarbons degradation

Hydrocarbons are routinely detected at low concentrations, despite the degrading metabolic potential of ubiquitous microorganisms. The potential drivers of hydrocarbons persistence are lower bioavailability and mass transfer limitation. Recently, bioremediation strategies have developed rapidly, but still, the solution is not resilient. Biosurfactants, known to increase bioavailability and augment biodegradation, are tightly linked to bacterial surface motility and chemotaxis, while chemotaxis help bacteria to locate aromatic compounds and increase the mass transfer. Harassing the biosurfactant production and chemotaxis properties of degrading microorganisms could be a possible approach for the complete degradation of hydrocarbons. This review provides an overview of interplay between biosurfactants and chemotaxis in bioremediation. Besides, we discuss the chemical surfactants and biosurfactant-mediated biodegradation by microbial consortium.