Efficacy of Bacillus subtilis for the biodegradation and viscosity reduction of waxy crude oil for enhanced oil recovery from mature reservoirs

Abstract

ABSTRACT Increasing maturity of the crude oil reservoirs across the world have led to the production of waxy crude oil which need economical and efficient methods for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The studies on the performance of bacteria in the presence of waxy crude oil is rare. In this study, experiments were performed to understand the efficacy of thermophillic microorganism Bacillus subtilis on the biodegradation of waxy crude oil for EOR applications. Bacterial growth, changes in crude oil composition, viscosity reduction, and surface and emulsification activity have been monitored to evaluate the oil degradation capabilities of the bacteria. This study also presents the effect of temperature, salinity, pH, and pressure on the stability of the produced biosurfactant for EOR applications. The biosurfactant produced by bacteria in the presence of crude oil was found to be stable up to 120°C, 10 MPa, 15% salinity, and wide range of pH, and thus favorable for reservoir environment. The crude oil composition before and after degradation at 75°C was determined using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and observed to be 60% in one day, while the maximum viscosity reduction was found to be 60% from initial values. Experimental results showed that the bacteria used in this work are capable of surviving at reservoir conditions, and are easy to grow on the waxy crude oil for enhanced oil recovery operations.