Heavy Oil Biodegradation

Biodegradation is the process that produces heavy oil and bitumen by the microbial degradation of conventional crude oils in reservoirs over geological timescales.

• Biodegradation is anaerobic in the subsurface and involves predominantly methanogenic biodegradation of oils in reservoirs.
• Oil hydrocarbons react with water to produce methane via intermediate hydrogen and carbon dioxide, as well as a residuum of heavy oil or bitumen.
• Process is mediated by a consortium of syntrophic bacteria and methanogenic archaea
• Biodegradation operates over geological timescales in oil-water transition zones, and
• Rates are controlled by thermal history of the reservoir and with a pasteurization temperature of 80?C.