''Pseudomonas clemancea'' is a species of '' Pseudomonas'' bacteria which was first discovered in the North of England. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''clemancea'' was given by microbiologist Pattanathu Rahman at Teesside University to bestow the CLEMANCE (Clean Environment Management Centre). This bacterium has DNA coding distinct from existing species and has unique properties developed in response to the contaminated soil from which it comes.

Biosurfactant from ''Pseudomonas clemancea''

Surfactant Surfactants are chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or interfacial tension between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming ...

s work by reducing

surface tension Surface tension is the tendency of liquid surfaces at rest to shrink into the minimum surface area possible. Surface tension is what allows objects with a higher density than water such as razor blades and insects (e.g. water striders) to f ...

between two liquids or a liquid and a solid.

Biosurfactant Biosurfactant usually refers to surfactants of microbial origin. Most of the biosurfactants produced by microbes are synthesized extracellularly and many microbes are known to produce biosurfactants in large relative quantities. Some are of commerc ...

s, surface-active agents of biological origin, have environment-friendly properties; they are

bio-degradable Biodegradation is the breakdown of organic matter by microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi. It is generally assumed to be a natural process, which differentiates it from composting. Composting is a human-driven process in which biodegradati ...

, non-toxic and can be made organically using local raw material and producers. Biosurfactants can be used in soaps,

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties when in dilute solutions. There are a large variety of detergents, a common family being the alkylbenzene sulfonates, which are soap-like compounds that are more ...

s, medical ointments, or as

emulsifier An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible (unmixable or unblendable) owing to liquid-liquid phase separation. Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Altho ...

s, i.e. within ice cream, facial cream, or sun lotion. ''P. clemancea'' produces

rhamnolipid Rhamnolipids are a class of glycolipid produced by ''Pseudomonas aeruginosa'', amongst other organisms, frequently cited as bacterial surfactants. They have a glycosyl head group, in this case a rhamnose moiety, and a 3-(hydroxyalkanoyloxy)alkanoi ...

s type of biosurfactants to detoxify oil and chemicals contaminants in the ground.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q55346286 Pseudomonadales Undescribed species

Biosurfactant from ''Pseudomonas clemancea''

Further reading

References