Relationship of cell-wall bound fatty acids and the demulsification efficiency of demulsifying bacteria Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1 cultured with vegetable oils

► Cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) of the demulsifying strains made great contributions to break down W/O emulsions. ► A correlation was discovered between the cell-wall bound fatty acid compositions and CSH or demulsification efficiency. ► Specific vegetable oils were marked out to produce high-efficient biodemulsifiers for Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1.