Assessment of orange peel for biosurfactant production by Rhodococcus pyridinivores isolated from marine ecosystem and its potential to degrade napthalene

A Gram-positive bacterium was isolated from a marine soil sample collected from Porbandar, Gujarat, India and identified as Rhodococcus pyridinivorans (OK036732) using 16S rRNA sequencing. The present study evaluates the ability of R. pyridinivorans to utilize various natural waste carbon sources for biosurfactant production and hydrocarbon biodegradation. Among the tested substrates, orange peel proved to be the most effective, yielding 1.25 g/L of biosurfactant with an emulsification activity of 69.62% against the tested hydrocarbon. Biodegradation studies indicate that the biosurfactant produced by R. pyridinivorans holds significant promise as an environmental friendly and biodegradable alternative.