Inhaltsbereich
Bioactivity in petroleum systems
Biodegradation of hydrocarbons in shallow prospects is one of the crucial processes influencing the occurrence, composition and properties of petroleum. In general, microbial processes lead to a strong quality deterioration of crude oil ultimately resulting in the formation of heavy oils and oil sands. Both the geological controls on microbial activity in petroleum systems as well as the biogeochemical mechanisms of petroleum fluid alteration are incompletely understood. With this in mind we are investigating the effects of bioactivity on petroleum quality and develop new strategies to assess and quantify these effects on the petroleum reservoir and sedimentary basin scales. The research also addresses the formation of biogenic gas as an environmentally friendly energy resource. A further topic is the role of microbial formation and degradation of hydrocarbons within the global carbon cycle and the possible impacts on transfer of greenhouse gases from the litho- into the hydro- and the atmosphere.
Ongoing Projects:
- Biogenic Methane Potential (BioMeP), Phase II
- Biodegradation of Paleozoic crude oils in petroleum reservoirs of the Tarim Basin, NW China
Specific Topics:
- Geological controls on microbial activity in petroleum reservoirs
- New metabolic processes relevant for oil and gas alteration
- Rates of hydrocarbon oxidation and mixing
- Quantification of hydrocarbon losses due to biodegradation
- Microbially enhanced oil recovery (MEOR)
- Possible study areas: offshore Norway / Lower Saxony / West African margin
- Biogenic gas formation
- Controls, mechanisms, effects, reconstruction of original gas(es)
- Filling histories
- Cap rock integrity
New project proposals: