Scientists discover bacteria that break down crude oil

Scientists have found a bacterium that can directly digest crude oil and produce methane gas, making mining more efficient.

The discovery, published December 23 in the journal Nature, focuses on a new species of bacteria in the Methanoliparum group, which includes the earliest microorganisms that appeared on Earth and played an important role in gas fermentation. biological.

Previous studies have shown that fermentation requires both methanogenic archaea and hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria to digest organic matter and produce methane.

New bacteria could help extend mining life.

However, the new species - named Candidatus methanoliparum - can directly convert the long-chain alkanes in crude oil into methane in the absence of oxygen without the need for hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. Genetic analysis shows that the bacteria have this ability thanks to a previously unknown enzyme.

Candidatus methanoliparum was discovered by the Biogas Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China in the Shengli oil field in northern Shandong province. The researchers believe it could pave the way for the extraction of dwindling oil fields.

In the traditional recovery process, crude oil that lies deep underground is pushed to the surface by the pressure of water or chemicals. More than half of the deposited oil is difficult to recover and remains underground.

Based on this research, crude oil can be broken down into methane, resulting in a more efficient recovery of the oil and gas mixture. Thereby, depleted mines can also prolong the mining time.

The Biogas Institute is collaborating with Shenzhen University, Germany's Max Planck Institute and the SINOPEC Microbiological Oil Recovery Key Laboratory to carry out further studies on Candidatus methanoliparum.