1. MEOR Technology Dr. Bhavesh Patel Principal
V.P. and R.P.T.P. Science College, Vallabh Vidyanagar -

2. 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 different hydrocarbons are present in crude petroleum.
This includes aliphatic, aromatic, alicyclic (saturated, unsaturated, straight chain, branched chain etc.).

3. 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.

4. 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.

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

6. 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%

7. 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.

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

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

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

11. 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.

12. Love ME OR Leave Me
Thank You