Table 2.
Patents issued on the application of biosurfactants relevant to the petroleum industry.
| Biosurfactants /Organisms | Title of Patent | Patent No. | Author and Year | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glycolipids | Method and installation for flooding petroleum wells and oil-sands | CA 1119794 | Wagner et al., 1982 | Recovery of oil from an oil well or oil sands |
| Biosurfactant-producing microorganisms mixtures | Enhanced oil recovery process using microorganisms | US 4450908 | Hitzman, 1984 | Enhanced oil recovery |
| Biosurfactant-producing endogenous microorganisms | Recovery of oil from oil reservoirs | US 5083610 | Sheehy, 1992 | Oil recovery |
| Injecting microbial nutrients to stimulate biosurfactant production | Nutrient injection method for subterranean microbial processes | US 5083611 | Clark and Jenneman, 1992 | Enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). |
| Lipopeptide | Biosurfactant and enhanced oil recovery | US 4522261 | McInerney et al., 1985 | Oil recovery |
| Mixture of microbes, enzymes, surfactants and chemicals. | System and process for in tank treatment of crude oil sludges to recover hydrocarbons and aid in materials separation | US 6033901 | Powell, 2000a | Removing of crude oil sludge from oil tank |
| Treatment fluid containing biosurfactant | System and process for in tank treatment of crude oil sludges to recover hydrocarbons and aid in materials separation | US 6069002 | Powell, 2000b | Recover of hydrocarbon |
| Any biosurfactant producer | Extraction of bitumen from bitumen froth and biotreatment of bitumen froth tailings generated from tar sands | CA 2350907 | Duyvesteyn et al., 2000 | Extraction and recovery of bitumen |
| Surface-active agents by exogenous microorganisms | Methods for improved hydrocarbon and water compatibility | US 7992639 | Fallon, 2011 | MEOR |
| Stimulation of bacteria with nutrients for production of surfactants | System and method for preparing near-surface heavy oil for extraction using microbial degradation | US 7922893 | Busche et al., 2011 | MEOR |
| Consortium including surfactant producer bacteria | Biological enhancement of hydrocarbon extraction | US 7472747 | Brigmon and Berry, 2009 | MEOR |
| Viscoelastic surfactants | Bacteria-based and enzyme-based mechanisms and products for viscosity reduction breaking of viscoelastic fluids | US7052901 | Crews, 2006 | MEOR |
| Microbial consortia | Process for stimulating microbial activity in a hydrocarbon-bearing, subterranean formation | US 6543535 | Converse et al., 2003 | MEOR |