Towards the Development and Utilization of Biosurfactant-Based Biotechnology for Enhancing the Recovery of Saudi Arabian Crude Oil: Interfacial Activity and Wettability Alteration Studies

Maximizing the recovery of trapped crude oil, which is estimated to be around the double of the amount recovered during the primary and secondary recovery processes, is an important task for all oil-producing countries, including Saudi Arabia. A number of traditional tertiary methods such as thermal, gas and chemical flooding have been utilized for the enhancement of oil recovery; however, these methods are energy intensive, inefficient or cause harmful impacts on environment. Biosurfactants, which are produced from clean and sustainable sources, biodegradable and non-toxic, have emerged as a green technology for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) with no adverse effects on environment. These bio-based materials are expected to enhance the recovery of the trapped oil through the reduction of the interfacial tension (IFT) between oil and aqueous solutions (e.g., brine) and also through changing the wettability of the reservoir rocks from oil-wet towards more water-wet state, leading to the detachment of the trapped oil from the reservoir rocks. Although these mechanisms are shared by chemical surfactants, biosurfactants are expected to display superior performance due to their efficacy and tolerance to the harsh reservoir conditions such as high salinity, high temperature and extreme pH. Nonetheless, information on the reduction of the oil-water IFT and also on wettability alteration of the reservoir rocks is still greatly lacking, particularly from local perspectives. Thus, the use of biosurfactants for the reduction of the IFT between Saudi Arabian heavy and light crude oils and aqueous solutions having high salinity, high temperature and extreme pH values, will be thoroughly investigated in this proposed project. Additionally, wettability alteration of carbonate rock, which is the major type of rocks in Saudi Arabian oil reservoirs, induced by biosurfactants will be studied. This proposed study is the first investigation (to the best of the PIs knowledge) addressing the potential utilization and effectiveness of biosurfactants for Saudi Arabian oil recovery purposes. It is also amongst the very few studies initiating the incorporation of biosurfactants (rather than microorganisms or their growth media) for EOR. The outcomes of this proposed short-term research are expected to lay the foundations for more in-depth relevant studies, leading ultimately to the development of environmentally friendly and superior EOR technology for the Saudi oil market. In addition to these long-term outcomes, there are also short-term outcomes (to be delivered at the end of this project duration) such as publications, student training, and positioning KFUPM amongst a few institutes in the world currently involved in this interesting research area