The Potential Application of Microorganisms for Sustainable Petroleum Recovery from Heavy Oil Reservoirs

Tamara Nazina, Diyana Sokolova, Denis Grouzdev, Ekaterina Semenova, Tamara Babich, Salimat Bidzhieva, Dmitriy Serdukov, Dmitriy Volkov, Konstantin Bugaev, Alexey Ershov, Marat Khisametdinov and Igor Borzenkov
Additional contact information
Tamara Nazina: Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60-letiya Oktyabrya, 7/2, Moscow 117312, Russia
Diyana Sokolova: Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60-letiya Oktyabrya, 7/2, Moscow 117312, Russia
Denis Grouzdev: Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60-letiya Oktyabrya, 7/1, Moscow 117312, Russia
Ekaterina Semenova: Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60-letiya Oktyabrya, 7/2, Moscow 117312, Russia
Tamara Babich: Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60-letiya Oktyabrya, 7/2, Moscow 117312, Russia
Salimat Bidzhieva: Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60-letiya Oktyabrya, 7/2, Moscow 117312, Russia
Dmitriy Serdukov: Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60-letiya Oktyabrya, 7/2, Moscow 117312, Russia
Dmitriy Volkov: RITEK Co., Bolshaya Ordynka, 3, Moscow 115035, Russia
Konstantin Bugaev: RITEK Co., Bolshaya Ordynka, 3, Moscow 115035, Russia
Alexey Ershov: Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60-letiya Oktyabrya, 7/2, Moscow 117312, Russia
Marat Khisametdinov: Tatar Oil Research and Design Institute, M. Djalil, 32, Bugulma 423236, Russia
Igor Borzenkov: Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60-letiya Oktyabrya, 7/2, Moscow 117312, Russia

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-23

Abstract: A microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) technique was tested at low-temperature heavy oil reservoirs (Russia). The bioaugmentation approach used is based on the introduction of hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria into the oilfield in combination with an injection of oxygen as a H 2 O 2 solution in order to initiate the first stage of hydrocarbon oxidation and of (NH 4 ) 2 HPO 4 as a source of biogenic elements. Before the pilot trials, the microorganisms of petroleum reservoirs were investigated by high-throughput sequencing, as well as by culture-base and radioisotope techniques. Molecular studies revealed the differences in microbial composition of the carbonate and terrigenous oil reservoirs and the communities of injection and formation water. Aerobic bacteria Rhodococcus erythropolis HO-KS22 and Gordonia amicalis 6-1 isolated from oilfields oxidized oil and produced biosurfactants. Fermentative enrichment and pure cultures produced considerable amounts of low fatty acids and alcohols from sacchariferous substrates. In core-flooding tests, 43.0–53.5% of additional heavy oil was displaced by aerobic bacteria, producing biosurfactants, and 13.4–45.5% of oil was displaced by fermentative bacteria, producing low fatty acids, alcohols, and gas. A total of 1250 t additional oil was recovered as a result of the application of an MEOR technique at the Cheremukhovskoe heavy oil reservoir and Vostochno-Anzirskoe reservoir with light conventional oil.

Keywords: microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR); heavy oil reservoirs; microbial community; high-throughput sequencing; hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria; fermentative bacteria; surface and interfacial tension; core flooding; MEOR pilot trials (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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