[2E13-17] Natural resource exploitation(2)

[2E14] Study on an enhanced oil recovery technique using foam generating microorganism

○Miu Ito¹, Yuichi Sugai¹ (1. Kyushu University)

Pseudomonas aeruginosa grows by nitrate respiration and generate nitrogen gas and proteins that form foam in culture solution under anaerobic conditions. In this study, we investigated the possibility of an enhanced oil recovery technique using the foam in situ generated by the microorganism. It was found that a small amount of iron is essential for foam production by the microorganism, and that foam can be easily produced by cultivating the microorganism in the culture medium consisting from molasses and reservoir brine that contain sufficient iron without preparing special culture media.

Keywords:Enhanced Oil Recovery, Microorganism, Foam