Growth Inhibition of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in Produced Water from the Petroleum Industry Using Essential Oils

Abstract

Strategies for the control of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the oil industry involve the use of high concentrations of biocides, but these may induce bacterial resistance and/or be harmful to public health and the environment. Essential oils (EO) produced by plants inhibit the growth of different microorganisms and are a possible alternative for controlling SRB. We aimed to characterize the bacterial community of produced water obtained from a Brazilian petroleum facility using molecular methods, as well as to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of EO from different plants and their major components against Desulfovibrio alaskensis NCIMB 13491 and against SRB growth directly in the produced water. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of the genera Pelobacter and Marinobacterium, Geotoga petraea, and the SRB Desulfoplanes formicivorans in our produced water samples. Sequencing of dsrA insert-containing clones confirmed the presence of sequences related to D. formicivorans. EO obtained from Citrus aurantifolia, Lippia alba LA44 and Cymbopogon citratus, as well as citral, linalool, eugenol and geraniol, greatly inhibited (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 78 µg/mL) the growth of D. alaskensis in a liquid medium. The same MIC was obtained directly in the produced water with EO from L. alba LA44 (containing 82% citral) and with pure citral. These findings may help to control detrimental bacteria in the oil industry.

Physiochemical properties of Trichoderma longibrachiatum DSMZ 16517-synthesized silver nanoparticles for the mitigation of halotolerant sulphate-reducing bacteria

“…Oil exploration, production and processing produce a large amount of formation water and wastewater (Souza et al . ). Such water is separated from hydrocarbons, but small suspended oil particles and dissolved organic and inorganic compounds (mainly chloride and sulphide ions) still remain leading to bacterial growth and making the discharge of that water an environmental problem (Fontenot et al .…”

“…Moreover, water‐injection systems are frequently contaminated by bacteria that can cause severe plugging of surface and downhole equipment, injection‐well formations and also generate hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S) that can indirectly cause pitting corrosion (Souza et al . ).…”

“…Remaining residues, toxicity and persistence of biocides in industrial effluents are detrimental to public health and the surrounding environment (Souza et al . ). Hence, alternative biocides against these bacteria, with a particular focus on SRB control, are of great interest to the petroleum industry.…”

Essential oils biological activity of the Lippia alba (Verbenaceae) shrub

“…Nematicidal activity of chemotypes I and III was reported on Meloidogyne incognita at concentrations from 0.1-2.5 ml/L, which had mean mortality percentages from 22 to 100 %, in dependent dosage; and diminished eclosion rate from 47 to 9 % (Moreira, Santos, & Innecco, 2009). Antimicrobial and antifungal activity has been reported on periodontal-pathogenic microorganisms (Juiz et al, 2015;Bersan et al, 2014), cariogenic organisms (Bersan et al, 2014), enterobacteria (Pino, Ortega, Rosado, Rodríguez, & Baluja, 1996;Machado, Nogueira, Pereira, Sousa, & Batista, 2014), dermatophytes (Costa et al, 2014;Tangarife-Castaño et al, 2012), phytopathogens (Mena-Rodríguez, Ortega-Cuadros, Merini, Melo- Ríos, & Tofiño-Rivera, 2018;Anaruma et al, 2010), sulfate reductase (Souza et al, 2017a), important pathogens in aquiculture (Souza et al, 2017b;Majolo, Rocha, Chagas, Chaves, & Bizzo, 2017;Sutili et al, 2015), Candida albicans (Mesa-Arango et al, 2010;Santos et al, 2016a;Mesa-Arango et al, 2009), aspergillosis (Mesa-Arango et al, 2010;Glamočlija, Soković, Tešević, Linde, & Colauto, 2011;Mesa-Arango, et al, 2009), Cryptococcosis (Santos et al, 2016a); gastrointestinal, cutaneous, and nosocomial infections (Pino et al, 1996;Machado et al, 2014;Porfírio et al, 2017); under the MIC interval between 4.0-9 370 µg/ml and MBC 6.5-2 500 µg/ml for bacteria (Table 2), and MIC 31.25-2 000 and MBC/ MFC 500-1 250 µg/ml for fungus (Table 3). 2008), and is approved for over-the-counter sale as antiseptic for external use and adjuvant in the treatment of anxiety of nervous origin in humans (INVIMA, 2018).…”

Effect of Thermodynamic Parameters on the Concentration of Pollutants in Produced Water from Crude Oil Production

“…The injected water component of produced water can bring traces of added chemicals such as biocides, corrosion inhibitors, scale inhibitors, emulsion breakers, coagulants flocculants and oxygen scavengers to the surface [15,16]. Sulphate reducing bacteria may also be present in produced water [17].…”