World-Wide Applications of Microbial Technology for Improving Oil Recovery

Bryant, Rebecca; Lindsey, Rhonda P.

doi:10.2523/35356-ms

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…From a microbiologist's perspective, microbial enhanced oil recovery processes are somewhat akin to in situ bioremediation processes. Injected nutrients, together with indigenous or added microbes, promote in situ microbial growth and/or generation of products which mobilize additional oil and move it to producing wells through reservoir repressurization, interfacial tension/oil viscosity reduction, and selective plugging of the most permeable zones (81,82). Alternatively, the oil-mobilizing microbial products may be produced by fermentation and injected into the reservoir.…”

Section: Microbial Processes For Recovering and Upgrading Petroleum Mmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in Petroleum Microbiology

Hamme¹,

Singh

Ward

2003

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

1,203

640

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent advances in molecular biology have extended our understanding of the metabolic processes related to microbial transformation of petroleum hydrocarbons. The physiological responses of microorganisms to the presence of hydrocarbons, including cell surface alterations and adaptive mechanisms for uptake and efflux of these substrates, have been characterized. New molecular techniques have enhanced our ability to investigate the dynamics of microbial communities in petroleum-impacted ecosystems. By establishing conditions which maximize rates and extents of microbial growth, hydrocarbon access, and transformation, highly accelerated and bioreactor-based petroleum waste degradation processes have been implemented. Biofilters capable of removing and biodegrading volatile petroleum contaminants in air streams with short substrate-microbe contact times (<60 s) are being used effectively. Microbes are being injected into partially spent petroleum reservoirs to enhance oil recovery. However, these microbial processes have not exhibited consistent and effective performance, primarily because of our inability to control conditions in the subsurface environment. Microbes may be exploited to break stable oilfield emulsions to produce pipeline quality oil. There is interest in replacing physical oil desulfurization processes with biodesulfurization methods through promotion of selective sulfur removal without degradation of associated carbon moieties. However, since microbes require an environment containing some water, a two-phase oil-water system must be established to optimize contact between the microbes and the hydrocarbon, and such an emulsion is not easily created with viscous crude oil. This challenge may be circumvented by application of the technology to more refined gasoline and diesel substrates, where aqueous-hydrocarbon emulsions are more easily generated. Molecular approaches are being used to broaden the substrate specificity and increase the rates and extents of desulfurization. Bacterial processes are being commercialized for removal of H2S and sulfoxides from petrochemical waste streams. Microbes also have potential for use in removal of nitrogen from crude oil leading to reduced nitric oxide emissions provided that technical problems similar to those experienced in biodesulfurization can be solved. Enzymes are being exploited to produce added-value products from petroleum substrates, and bacterial biosensors are being used to analyze petroleum-contaminated environments

show abstract

Section: Microbial Processes For Recovering and Upgrading Petroleum Mmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in Petroleum Microbiology

Hamme¹,

Singh

Ward

2003

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

1,203

640

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Utilizing cheaper raw materials, optimizing media components, hyperproduction, or using fermentation extracts that contain significant amounts of biosurfactants can reduce the cost [2,57]. Biosurfactant use for EOR can be divided into ex situ and in situ MEOR procedures, called biosurfactant-mediated MEOR (BS-MEOR) [59]. In the former, laboratory-produced biosurfactants are injected into the reservoir, while the in situ process identifies proper microorganisms present in the reservoir and supports their growth to synthesize needed metabolites, for instance, surfactants or polymers that provide favorable factors for EOR [88].…”

Section: Application Of Biosurfactants In Eor Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review on Biosurfactant Applications in the Petroleum Industry

Ping

Alikhani

2021

International Journal of Chemical Engineering

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The inadequacy of worldwide fossil fuel resources, combined with increasing energy demands, encourages global attention to either using alternative energy resources or improving the recovery factor and produce larger quantities from present reservoirs. Among all enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods, surfactant injection is a well-known technique that reduces the interfacial tension (IFT) between oil and water and increases oil production. Despite numerous advantages of using surfactants, there are also a few obstacles like environmental impacts, high cost, effect on humans and other organisms due to toxicological potential, and availability from nonrenewable resources. Biosurfactants are microbial surface-active agents that decrease the surface tension (ST) of a liquid phase and the IFT of two diverse phases. They are biotechnological products of high value owing to their widespread applications, low toxicity, relatively easy preparation, and specific performance, applied in different industries like organic chemicals and fertilizers, agrochemicals, metallurgy and mining, cosmetics, foods, medical and pharmaceuticals, beverages, environmental management, and petroleum and petrochemical applications in emulsifying and demulsifying wetting agents, detergent spreading and foaming agents, and functional food ingredients. Biosurfactants are synthesized by microbes; therefore, various genetic diversities of microorganisms provide the considerable capability to produce new types of biosurfactants, which can develop EOR technology. Biosurfactants are classified into ex situ and in situ MEOR processes. The genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Sphingomonas, and Actinobacteria are the foremost biosurfactant-producing bacteria. This paper reviews relevant reports and results from various presented papers by researchers and companies on applications of microorganisms and biosurfactant technology with specific emphasis on EOR and MEOR processes, based on recently published articles since 2010 until now.

show abstract

“…In another method, water containing a source of vitamins, phosphates, and electron acceptors such as nitrate, is injected into the reservoir, so that anaerobic bacteria can grow by using oil as the main carbon source (Sen, 2008). The microorganisms used in MEOR methods are mostly anaerobic extremophiles, including halophiles, barophiles, and thermophiles for their better adaptation to the oil reservoir conditions (Brown, 1992;Khire & Khan, 1994;Bryant & Lindsey, 1996;Tango & Islam, 2002). These bacteria are usually hydrocarbon-utilizing, non-pathogenic, and are naturally occurring in petroleum reservoirs (Almeida et al 2004).…”

Section: Miscible Displacement Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%