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Recent advances in petroleum microbiology.
Jonathan D Van Hamme1, Ajay Singh, Owen P Ward
1Department of Biological Sciences, The University College of the Cariboo, Kamloops, British Columbia V2C 5N3.
Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews : MMBR
|December 11, 2003
Summary
Microbial biotechnology offers advanced solutions for petroleum waste degradation and enhanced oil recovery. While challenges remain in subsurface applications, innovations in biodesulfurization and bioremediation show significant promise for environmental and industrial benefits.
Area of Science:
- Environmental biotechnology
- Molecular microbiology
- Petroleum science
Background:
- Molecular biology advances have deepened the understanding of microbial metabolism in petroleum hydrocarbon transformation.
- Microbial physiological responses, including cell surface alterations and substrate uptake/efflux mechanisms, are increasingly characterized.
- New molecular techniques enable enhanced investigation of microbial community dynamics in petroleum-contaminated ecosystems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances and applications of microbial processes in petroleum hydrocarbon transformation and bioremediation.
- To highlight the potential and challenges of using microbes for oil recovery, emulsion breaking, and desulfurization.
- To explore the development of microbial technologies for waste stream treatment and value-added product generation from petroleum.
Main Methods:
- Characterization of microbial physiological responses to hydrocarbons.
- Development of bioreactor-based systems for accelerated petroleum waste degradation.
- Application of molecular techniques to study microbial communities and enhance biotransformation processes.
- Investigation of microbial roles in enhanced oil recovery, emulsion breaking, and biodesulfurization.
Main Results:
- Highly accelerated petroleum waste degradation processes and effective biofilters for volatile contaminants have been implemented.
- Microbial injection for enhanced oil recovery shows inconsistent performance due to subsurface environmental control issues.
- Biodesulfurization shows promise but faces challenges with viscous crude oil emulsions; refined fuels are more amenable.
- Bacterial processes for H(2)S and sulfoxide removal are commercialized; nitrogen removal and enzyme applications are under development.
Conclusions:
- Microbial biotechnology offers diverse applications in the petroleum industry, from waste management to resource enhancement.
- Controlling subsurface environments remains a key challenge for in-situ microbial applications like enhanced oil recovery.
- Continued molecular and biotechnological advancements are crucial for optimizing microbial processes like biodesulfurization and nitrogen removal.