The potential impact of using a surfactant and an alcoholic co-surfactant on SRB activity during EOR. Issue 16 (16th July 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chinalia, Fabio Alexandre; Andrade, Mayara Borges; Vale, Tatiana Oliveira do; Santos, Sueli Carvalho dos; Moura-Costa, Lilia Ferreira de; Almeida, Paulo Fernando de
• Is Part Of: Environmental technology. Volume 40:Issue 16(2019)
• Page Start: 2100
• Page End: 2106
• Publication Date: 2019-07-16
• Subjects: SRB -- ethanol -- co-surfactant -- oil recovery -- souring; Environmental engineering -- Periodicals; Environmental protection -- Periodicals; 628.05
• DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2018.1437780
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-3330

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Surfactants and co-surfactants play an important role in enhanced oil recovery for they improve petroleum solubility and reduce interfacial tensions between oil, water and the rock formation. Ethanol is receiving renewed attention as potential co-surfactant because of the negative results obtained with the use of salts and alkaline substances. Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) can use surfactants and co-surfactants as carbon sources and, consequently, this can increase the biological accumulation of sulphide (souring). The aim of this research is to correlate SRB activity with different concentrations of co-surfactant (ethanol) as an attempt to quantifying in which concentration such compound can potentially increase or inhibit souring. The results show that the combination of surfactant (lauryl glucoside) and co-surfactant (ethanol) can increase SRB activity to about 2.3-fold. The highest sulphate consumption rate of 591 μg l −1 h −1 was observed in experiments with 0.03% and 1.5% (v/v) of surfactant and ethanol, respectively. The experiments indicated that SRB activity is only controlled by ethanol concentrations above 6.5% (v/v). Ethanol can potentially decrease costs with the use of biocides and significantly increase oil recovery ratios. Tests with the model Desulfovibrio vulgaris were not comparable with the results obtained with the SRB consortium.