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Membrane Lipids as Indicators for Viable Bacterial Communities Inhabiting Petroleum Systems

  • Environmental Microbiology
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Abstract

Microbial activity in petroleum reservoirs has been implicated in a suite of detrimental effects including deterioration of petroleum quality, increases in oil sulfur content, biofouling of steel pipelines and other infrastructures, and well plugging. Here, we present a biogeochemical approach, using phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), for detecting viable bacteria in petroleum systems. Variations within the bacterial community along water flow paths (producing well, topside facilities, and injection well) can be elucidated in the field using the same technique, as shown here within oil production plants in the Molasse Basin of Upper Austria. The abundance of PLFAs is compared to total cellular numbers, as detected by qPCR of the 16S rDNA gene, to give an overall comparison between the resolutions of both methods in a true field setting. Additionally, the influence of biocide applications on lipid- and DNA-based quantification was investigated. The first oil field, Trattnach, showed significant PLFA abundances and cell numbers within the reservoir and topside facilities. In contrast, the second field (Engenfeld) showed very low PLFA levels overall, likely due to continuous treatment of the topside facilities with a glutaraldehyde-based antimicrobial. In comparison, Trattnach is dosed once per week in a batch fashion. Changes within PLFA compositions across the flow path, throughout the petroleum production plants, point to cellular adaptation within the system and may be linked to shifts in the dominance of certain bacterial types in oil reservoirs versus topside facilities. Overall, PLFA-based monitoring provides a useful tool to assess the abundance and high-level taxonomic diversity of viable microbial populations in oil production wells, topside infrastructure, pipelines, and other related facilities.

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Acknowledgements

This research project was supported by funding from Dow Microbial Control. We are grateful for the excellent collaboration with Rohöl-Aufsuchungs Aktiengesellschaft (RAG) and the University of Leoben. We thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments which helped to improve the manuscript. We would also like to kindly acknowledge technical support provided by Kristin Guenther, Cornelia Karger, and Maria Bade at the GFZ and Imke Widera at Dow Europe GmbH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section 3.2 Organic Geochemistry, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences-Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany

    Andrea Gruner, Kai Mangelsdorf, Andrea Vieth-Hillebrand, Brian Horsfield & Heinz Wilkes

  2. Dow Microbial Control, Horgen, Switzerland

    Geert M. van der Kraan, Thomas Köhler & Brandon E. L. Morris

  3. RAG Rohöl-Aufsuchungs Aktiengesellschaft, Kremsmünster, Austria

    Christoph Janka

  4. Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Organic Geochemistry, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Strasse 9-11, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany

    Heinz Wilkes

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  1. Andrea Gruner
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Correspondence to Heinz Wilkes.

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Gruner, A., Mangelsdorf, K., Vieth-Hillebrand, A. et al. Membrane Lipids as Indicators for Viable Bacterial Communities Inhabiting Petroleum Systems. Microb Ecol 74, 373–383 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-017-0954-6

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