Microbial metabolic products, such as biosurfactants, bioemulsifiers, acids, solvents, and biogases, are useful for reducing the viscosity of heavy oils and enhancing oil recovery. Two heavy oil viscosity-reducing microorganisms, namely, SH-2 and SH-3, were selected from produced water which were collected from high-temperature reservoirs by enrichment culture technique. The screened bacteria produce biosurfactants and biogases that can biodegrade heavy crude oil components. The screened bacteria combined with indigenous bacteria were applied in a pilot test of microbial huff and puff. Temperature, porosity, and permeability of the reservoir were 50 °C, 14.32%, and 22 mD, respectively. After microbial treatment, the 50 °C degassing for crude oil viscosity of the produced oil was decreased from 750 to 634 mPa•s. Moreover, wax and resin−asphaltene contents of produced oil were reduced by 12.3% and 16.9%, respectively. The average oil production was improved from 2.2 to 3.5 t/day after microbial treatment. The production remained stable without the chemical viscosity reducer for 54 days. The analysis of bacterial community structure indicated that the number of bacteria species increased and that the microbial diversity was highly abundant. However, harmful microorganisms for microbe-enhanced oil recovery, such as sulfate-reducing bacteria, are inhibited during the progress of microbial huff and puff.

Microbial mineralization (corrosion, decomposition, and weathering) has been investigated for its role in the extraction and recovery of metals from ores. Here we report our application of biomineralization for the microbial enhanced oil recovery in low-permeability oil reservoirs. It aimed to reveal the etching mechanism of the four Fe(III)-reducing microbial strains under anaerobic growth conditions on Ca-montmorillonite. The mineralogical characterization of Ca-montmorillonite was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectrometry. Results showed that the microbial strains could efficiently reduce Fe(III) at an optimal rate of 71%, alter the crystal lattice structure of the lamella to promote interlayer cation exchange, and efficiently inhibit Ca-montmorillonite swelling at a rate of 48.9%. Microbial mineralization is ubiquitous in the natural environment. Microbes in low-permeability reservoirs are able to facilitate alteration of the structure and phase of the Fe-poor minerals by reducing Fe(III) and inhibiting clay swelling, which is still poorly studied. This study aimed to reveal the interaction mechanism between Fe(III)-reducing bacterial strains and Ca-montmorillonite under anaerobic conditions and to investigate the extent and rates of Fe(III) reduction and phase changes with their activities. Application of Fe(III)-reducing bacteria will provide a new way to inhibit clay swelling, to elevate reservoir permeability, and to reduce pore throat resistance after water flooding for enhanced oil recovery in low-permeability reservoirs.

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The stable and efficient operation of the activated sludge sequencing batch reactor (ASSBR) in heavy oil refineries has become an urgent necessity in wastewater biotreatment. Hence, we constructed a green and efficient solid bioaugmentation agent (SBA) to enhance the resistance of the reactor to loading shock. The impact of bioaugmentation on the performance and microbial community dynamics under three patterns of heavy oil refinery wastewater (HORW) loading shock (higher COD, higher toxicity, and higher flow rate) was investigated on an industrial-scale ASSBR. Results showed that the optimal SBA formulation was a ratio and addition of mixed bacteria Bacillus subtillis and Brucella sp., of 3:1 and 3.0%, respectively, and a glucose concentration of 5.0 mg/L. The shock resistance of ASSBR was gradually enhanced and normal performance was restored within 6–7 days by the addition of 0.2% SBA. Additionally, the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand and total nitrogen reached 86% and 55%, respectively. Furthermore, we found that Burkholderiaceae (12.9%) was replaced by Pseudomonadaceae (17.1%) in wastewater, and Lachnospiraceae (25.4%) in activated sludge was replaced by Prevotellaceae (35.3%), indicating that the impact of different shocks effectively accelerated the evolution of microbial communities and formed their own unique dominant bacterial families.