Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 29, 2026
13:19
Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants
Published on: June 3, 2022
6.1K
Microbial Biosurfactants: A Bridge from Aquatic Environments to Subsurface Oil Recovery: Mechanisms, Challenges,
Jing Chang1, Wei Yang1, Yulin Jin2
1College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710054, China.
Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 28, 2026
Summary
Microbial biosurfactants alter rock wettability for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). These sustainable biomolecules mobilize trapped oil, offering a green alternative to conventional methods.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Petroleum Engineering
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Microbial biosurfactants are eco-friendly agents derived from diverse environments.
- They function as amphiphiles, modifying rock surface properties.
- Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) seeks efficient methods to extract residual crude oil.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review microbial biosurfactants for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).
- Focus on wettability alteration as the primary mechanism.
- Integrate microbial ecology and petroleum engineering insights.
Main Methods:
- Survey of major biosurfactant classes (glycolipids, lipopeptides, polymeric bioemulsifiers).
- Assessment of mechanisms relevant to reservoir conditions (high temperature, salinity).
- Evaluation of challenges: stability, adsorption, economic scalability.
Main Results:
- Biosurfactants effectively alter rock wettability, mobilizing trapped oil.
- Different classes exhibit varying efficacy under harsh reservoir conditions.
- Key hurdles include stability, rock adsorption, and cost-effective production.
Conclusions:
- Microbial biosurfactants offer a sustainable strategy for EOR.
- Future directions include bio-hybrid systems, waste feedstock valorization, and bioprospecting.
- Advancing these strategies can lead to robust, green microbial-enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) technologies.
Keywords:
aquatic extremophilesmicrobial biosurfactantsmicrobial-enhanced oil recovery (MEOR)wettability alterationMore Related Videos
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