MEOR Technology Dr. Bhavesh Patel Principal V.P. and R.P.T.P. Science College, Vallabh Vidyanagar Email- bhavesh1968@rediffmail.com

Petroleum - Chemistry Petroleum is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with small amount of other organic materials. Commercially it is differentiated into fractions of different boiling ranges by distillation. Composition of crude petroleum is not only complex but show considerable variations. Typically 200-300 different hydrocarbons are present in crude petroleum. This includes aliphatic, aromatic, alicyclic (saturated, unsaturated, straight chain, branched chain etc.).

Petroleum - Microbiology About 1,50,000 known Spp. Of microorganisms are present in crude petroleum. Of these 100 Spp. Are capable of utilizing it as C and energy source. Representative groups of microorganisms are – Autotrophic, Heterotrophic, Sheathed & Stalked bacteria, Sulfur bacteria, Actinomycetes, Fungi.

Petroleum - Microbiology Autotrophic bacteria – Desulfovibrio, Iron bacteria, Thiobacillus etc. Heterotrophic bacteria – Bacillus Spp., Pseudomonas, Serratia, Flavobacterium, Clostridium, Micrococcus, Brevibacterium, Escherichia etc. Sheathed & Stalked Bacteria – Sphearotilus, Gallionella, Caulobacter, Siderocapsa, Feribacterium etc. Sulfur bacteria – Chromatium, Chlorobium, Baggiatoa, Clostridium etc.

Petroleum - Microbiology Actinomycetes – Nocardia, Streptomyces, Mycobacterium, Micromonospora, Thermo actinomyces. Fungi – Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, Helmenthosporium, Cladosporium, Alterneria, Curvularia, Torula, Trichoderma etc.

A Crud Oil Barrel Primary recovery – Spontaneous - 24% Secondary recovery – Conventional methods ( pumping, gas pressurizing, thermal etc.) – 9% Tertiary recovery – MEOR – 14% Future development - ? – 14% Unrecoverable – 39%

MEOR - Concept MEOR is the technology for increasing oil recovery from exhausted oil wells. Microorganism here are used as underground factories to generate various agents that stimulate or increases oil recovery.

MEOR – Not An Easy Task Conditions in oil wells – Anaerobic High Temperature High Pressure Non availability of water High Salinity Undesirable pH

MEOR – Potential Target Oil well - pH – 4 to 8 Temperature – Less then 75oC Salinity – 10% Microorganism – Motile Non clumping Anaerobic or Microaerophilic

Metabolism – “In Situ” Formation of gases Acids Polymers Solvents Surfactants

The Master Organism In 1940s Zobell was the first to use sulphate reducing bacteria. However it was a poor choice because of corrosion problem and poor performance of organism. In 1954 Clostridium acetobutylicum was used with a great success in USA. Recently the concept of preparing consortia is undertaken in many cases. Genetic Engineering helps in creating desired organism.

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