Journal
INTERNATIONAL BIODETERIORATION & BIODEGRADATION
Volume 96, Issue -, Pages 135-143Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.ibiod.2014.08.013
Keywords
Sandpack; Interfacial tension; Biosurfactant; Solution gas drive; Microbial adhesion
Funding
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
- Baker Hughes
- BP
- Computer Modelling Group Limited
- ConocoPhillips Company
- Intertek Commercial Microbiology
- Dow Microbial Control
- Enbridge
- Enerplus Corporation
- Oil Search Limited
- Shell Global Solutions International BV
- Suncor Energy Inc.
- Yara Norge AS
- Alberta Innovates - Energy and Environment Solutions (AIEES)
- Genome Canada
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Sandpack columns filled with heavy oil and water, with or without a nitrate-reducing inoculum, were used to determine if nitrate injections could lead to enhanced oil recovery. Production of oil and water into vials filled with helium or argon was monitored during repeated anaerobic incubations at 30 degrees C. Regardless of the presence of inoculum, columns containing nitrate consistently produced more oil than those without nitrate during incubations. Microbial reduction of nitrate to nitrogen with production of carbon dioxide might contribute to the establishment of gas drive. The presence of nitrate could also lead to increased production of biomass and/or biosurfactants, reducing oil-water interfacial tension. Counter-diffusion of nitrogen and carbon dioxide dissolved in column liquids and of helium or argon present in the vial gas phase likely contributed to the establishment of gas drive in all columns. Heptane was present in consistently lower concentrations in columns with nitrate than in those without nitrate at the end of incubations, suggesting that it was an important source of carbon and energy for microbial growth. Azoarcus spp. dominated the consortium when the inoculum was grown with heptane as the sole source of carbon and energy, indicating that this bacterium might contribute to the observed oil production. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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