Abstract
Strategies for the control of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the oil industry involve the use of high concentrations of biocides, but these may induce bacterial resistance and/or be harmful to public health and the environment. Essential oils (EO) produced by plants inhibit the growth of different microorganisms and are a possible alternative for controlling SRB. We aimed to characterize the bacterial community of produced water obtained from a Brazilian petroleum facility using molecular methods, as well as to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of EO from different plants and their major components against Desulfovibrio alaskensis NCIMB 13491 and against SRB growth directly in the produced water. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of the genera Pelobacter and Marinobacterium, Geotoga petraea, and the SRB Desulfoplanes formicivorans in our produced water samples. Sequencing of dsrA insert-containing clones confirmed the presence of sequences related to D. formicivorans. EO obtained from Citrus aurantifolia, Lippia alba LA44 and Cymbopogon citratus, as well as citral, linalool, eugenol and geraniol, greatly inhibited (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 78 µg/mL) the growth of D. alaskensis in a liquid medium. The same MIC was obtained directly in the produced water with EO from L. alba LA44 (containing 82% citral) and with pure citral. These findings may help to control detrimental bacteria in the oil industry.
Highlights
Oil exploration and production generates a large amount of produced water [1].Typically, a new field yields about 5 to 15% produced water of the total volume of petroleum
Oil Terminal (TEBIG) was analyzed by PCR followed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE)) of 16S rRNA-encoding gene fragments
One band corresponded to an sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), which was identified as Desulfoplanes formicivorans (Deltaproteobacteria class, Desulfovibrionales order)
Summary
Oil exploration and production generates a large amount of produced water (defined as the water that exists in subsurface formations and is brought to the surface during oil and gas production) [1].Typically, a new field yields about 5 to 15% produced water of the total volume of petroleum. As the field matures, the produced water volume can reach up to 90% of production because additional. Different strategies have been developed to reuse and recycle produced water, including re-injecting it back into reservoirs to increase oil production and many other industrial uses [1,5,6,7]. In addition to the corrosion of metal surfaces, H2 S is both toxic and explosive [11,12]. To counter these effects, bacterial growth in water-injection systems is controlled mainly by chemical biocides, such as chloride, glutaraldehyde and quaternary ammonium salts [13,14]. Residual concentrations, toxicity and persistence of biocides in industrial effluents are known to be detrimental to public health and the environment [14]
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