THE ESG ISSUE/Sustainability
Green Chemistry HOW TO IMPROVE OILFIELD OPERATIONS WITHOUT SACRIFICING SUSTAINABILITY By Martin Shumway, PE, CPG, Technical Director, Locus Bio-Energy Solutions
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inston Churchill once said the allies floated to victory on a sea of oil during the first world war. But now the oil industry is fighting its own war against a multitude of challenges. Employment is declining. Operators are doing what they can to survive while pressure builds from investors and shareholders to operate within cashflow and achieve returns on investment. There is also pressure to increase sustainability and implement ESG criteria across operations. It can feel like an impossible feat in such a volatile market. So, what can be done to remain competitive in the oilfield? The answer may surprise you. CUTTING COSTS WITH BIOSURFACTANTS Operators across top U.S. basins are finding success using new oilfield technology that incorporates green biosurfactants – both in financial and environmental benefits. Biosurfactants are a special class of surfactants that offer lower toxicity and higher biodegradability. The solutions are replacing standard synthetic petrochemical-based surfactants in oilfield applications at a fraction of the cost by reducing dosage rate, improving oil production, reducing expenses and minimizing the need for new drilling – acting as a minimal capex method to improving top and bottom lines. Biosurfactants offer a green solution that beats traditional chemical surfactants in performance, cost and sustainability – allowing operators to increase production revenue while also excelling in ESG compliance. In addition to their green profile, biosurfactants are highly effective as excellent wetting agents and have low critical micelle concentrations (minimum effective dosage rates), which reduce surface and interfacial tensions to extremely low levels. They have been shown to reduce surface tension of water to below 35 mN/m, at doses 1/50th of chemical surfactants, are fast-acting, and offer sustained performance. The advantages of biosurfactants come from their multiple
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Energy Connection/Q2 2020
action mechanisms, including reducing crude oil viscosity, dispersing blockages and changing interfacial tensions and oil/water contact angles. These mechanisms increase effective permeability and mobilize oil that would not be produced in the primary production phase, ultimately increasing production. Biosurfactant-based products have been shown to be effective in paraffin dispersion, completions chemistries and for enhanced oil recovery applications. Biosurfactants are one of the most promising opportunities in green oilfield chemistry, but historically commercial use has been limited to personal care and other high-margin markets. ADVANCEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY So how do these new technology advancements enable the large-scale production of biosurfactants? Unlike previous techniques, the new manufacturing technology enables creation of complex organic molecules that cannot be synthesized by traditional synthetic chemical methods. This method eliminates traditional biosurfactant recovery and purification stages, replacing them with bioinformatics and biotechnological fermentation processes that rapidly create pure and homogenous biosurfactants. The process starts by identifying non-bacterial microorganisms with the appropriate gene clusters that can produce high yields of the most effective biosurfactants. Then, proprietary modular fermentation systems are used to customize small, highly concentrated batches of the biosurfactants at up to 100x the density of other products and at as little as 10% of standard production costs, lowering usage rates and treatment pricing. The technology also allows treatments to be customized for different reservoirs and blended at regional locations, ensuring consistent results. RESULTS FROM THE OILFIELD This new generation of biosurfactants offers alternatives
