Article’s

This research aims to find sustainable and biodegradable alternatives to synthetic surfactants in the wake of increasing environmental concerns. It focuses on microbial surfactants for their low toxicity, biodegradability, and ability to withstand harsh conditions, but points out the current economic limitations for their production due to the cost of substrates and inefficient bioprocessing. Coconut husk, a low-cost agricultural waste lignocellulosic substrate, is suggested, but its high lignin composition makes it difficult to degrade by microbes. Termites, with their gut microbiota that functions as an anaerobic bioreactor with high concentrations of lignocellulose-degrading microbes, are investigated. The objective is to isolate and identify termite gut lignocellulose degraders and determine their potential for the bioconversion of coconut husk into a green biosurfactant. The research will determine enzymatic activity, substrate consumption, and biosurfactant production using established qualitative and quantitative approaches. This termite-mediated bioconversion process may help push the frontiers of green waste biorefinery and biosurfactant manufacturing in the context of green biotechnology and circular economy strategies. Key Words: Termite gut microbiome, Coconut husk, Lignocellulose bioconversion, Biosurfactants, Green biotechnology, Microbial consortia. 1.INTRODUCTION 1.1 Environmental Concerns and the Need for Sustainable Biosurfactants Surfactants are critical components in a wide range of industrial applications, such as detergents, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food processing, petroleum extraction, agriculture, and environmental clean-up. The ability of surfactants to reduce surface and interfacial tension is fundamental to emulsification, dispersion, wetting, and solubilization. Currently, the surfactant market is mainly saturated with chemically synthesized surfactants that are mainly produced from petrochemical raw materials. Although these synthetic surfactants are cost-effective and highly efficient, their large-scale application has raised serious concerns about their environmental and health impacts. Most traditional surfactants have been found to be only partially biodegradable, resistant to degradation in aquatic and terrestrial environments, and acutely and chronically toxic to non-target organisms. The persistence of surfactant residues in aquatic