A biosurfactant-producing yeast Rhodotorula sp.CC01 utilizing landfill leachate as nitrogen source and its broad degradation spectra of petroleum hydrocarbons
Abstract In this study, a biosurfactant producing strain, Rhodotorula sp. CC01 was isolated using landfill leachate as nitrogen source, while olive oil was determined as the best sole carbon source for producing biosurfactants. The biosurfactant produced by Rhodotorula sp. CC01 was characterized as glycolipids with a critical micelle concentration of 70 mg/L, which showed stability over a wide range of pH (2–12), salinity (0–100%), and temperature (20–100°C). During the cultivation process, the surface tension decreased from 51.87 to 28.20 mN/m in 15 h, and the removal efficiency of NH4+-N reached 84.2% after 75 h cultivation with a maximum NH4+-N removal rate of 3.92 mg·L-1·h−1. In addition, Rhodotorula sp. CC01 has proven to be of great potential in remediating petroleum hydrocarbons, as revealed by chromogenic assays. The findings of this study prove a cost-effective strategy for the production of BS by yeast through the utilization of landfill leachate.