The public discussion took place for the master’s student (Lina Adnan Obaes) Department of Biology, - College of Science - University of Anbar on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, in the Ibn Sina Hall at the College of Science. for his tagged thesis:
" Production of biosurfactants and their environmental application in the bioremediation of oil pollution "

The discussion committee consisted of:

  This study investigates the production of biosurfactants and their environmental application in the bioremediation of oil pollution. Indigenous bacteria were isolated from oil-contaminated soils in Ramadi, Iraq, and screened for biosurfactant activity using complementary assays (e.g., oil spreading, emulsification index, foam activity, BATH). The top three isolates (S11, S43, S54) demonstrating strong activity were identified via 16S rRNA sequencing as Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Pseudomonas putida. FTIR and GC-MS analyses confirmed the presence of biosurfactant-like compounds (fatty acids, hydroxy-fatty acids) in crude extracts. In soil microcosm experiments, cell-free supernatants (particularly from P. aeruginosa) showed high efficiency in removing total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) over 14 days, sometimes outperforming live bacterial inocula. The study concludes that locally produced biosurfactants are promising for oil-contaminated soil remediation and recommends field trials, ecotoxicity assessments, and cost modeling for future application.