The widespread existence of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in soil and water poses a potential health hazard to human, such as skin diseases, heart diseases, carcinogenesis, etc. Surfactant-enhanced bioremediation has been regarded as one of the most viable technologies to treat HOCs contaminated soil and groundwater. As a biosurfactant that has been intensively studied, rhamnolipids have shown to enhance biodegradation of HOCs in the environment, however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully disclosed. In this paper, properties and production of rhamnolipids are summarized. Then effects of rhamnolipids on the biodegradation of HOCs, including solubilization, altering cell affinity to HOCs, and facilitating microbial uptake are reviewed in detail. Special attention is paid to how rhamnolipids change the bioavailability of HOCs, which are crucial for understanding the mechanism of rhamnolipids-mediated biodegradation. The biodegradation and toxicity of rhamnolipids are also discussed. Finally, perspectives and future research directions are proposed. This review adds insight to rhamnolipids-enhanced biodegradation process, and helps in application of rhamnolipids in bioremediation.

疏水性有机化合物（HOC）在土壤和水中的广泛存在对人类构成潜在的健康危害，例如皮肤疾病，心脏病，致癌作用等。表面活性剂增强的生物修复技术被认为是最可行的治疗技术之一。 HOCs污染了土壤和地下水。作为已经被深入研究的生物表面活性剂，鼠李糖脂已显示出增强环境中HOC的生物降解，但是，其潜在机理尚未完全公开。本文总结了鼠李糖脂的性质和生产。然后详细审查了鼠李糖脂对HOCs生物降解的影响，包括溶解，改变细胞对HOC的亲和力和促进微生物吸收。特别要注意鼠李糖脂如何改变HOC的生物利用度，这对于了解鼠李糖脂介导的生物降解机理至关重要。还讨论了鼠李糖脂的生物降解和毒性。最后，提出了观点和未来的研究方向。这项审查增加鼠李糖脂增强生物降解过程的见解，并有助于鼠李糖脂在生物修复中的应用。