ESCUELA POLITÉCNICA NACIONAL

FACULTAD DE INGENIERÍA EN GEOLOGÍA Y PETRÓLEOS

INGENIERÍA EN PETRÓLEOS
TRATAMIENTO Y MANTENIMIENTO DE AGUAS DE PRODUCCIÓN

NAME: ERICK NÉJER ORMAZA DATE: December 14th, 2017

BIOSURFACTANTS

The biosurfactants are natural compounds produced by microorganisms like bacteria, and the
majority are produced on substrates that are insoluble in water. The properties of the biosurfactants
are same to many synthetic surfactants. “Biosurfactants demonstrate low toxicity to freshwater,
marine and terrestrial ecosystems.” (Sarubo,2014). For this reason are potential candidates for a
variety of environmental applications.

Advantages of biosurfactants: reducing the surface tension at a lower concentration, managing

extreme conditions, degrading easily microorganisms, can be produced from industrial waste,
biosurfactants are specific in their actions. However producing biosurfactants is so expensive, need
much technology to get good results.

In the petroleum industry there are many problems where biosurfactants can be used, but the two
principal problems are environmental pollution due to hydrocarbons and low efficiency in the
production of natural reservoirs.

When there is loss of fluid in tanks or pipelines, the surfactants are used to reduce degrade
hydrocarbons to remediate contaminated places. This process is called bioremediation “In general
It’s based in the bioestimulation, that consists in add fertilizers (that contains P and N2) in such a
way the nutrients are given to the environment and they increase microbiology native of the zone,
and the bioaumentagtion, that consist in inoculate strains or groups of microorganisms specially
formulated to clean up a certain place.” (Calvo C., Manzanera M., Silva-Castro G.A., Uad I., Gonzalez-
Lopez J., 2009)

The other problems is low efficiency in the production, in this case exist the MEOR (Microorganism
Enhanced Oil Recovery) The remaining oil is often located in regions of the reservoir that are difficult
to access, where the oil is trapped in pores by capillary pressure. “Biosurfactants reduce the
oil/water and oil/rock interfacial tensions, which reduces the capillary forces that impede the oil
from moving through the pores of the rock. Biosurfactants can also strongly bond with the oil/water
interface to form an emulsion, which stabilises the oil desorbed in the water and allows its removal
through the injection of water.” (Marchant and Banat, 2012).
 ESCUELA POLITÉCNICA NACIONAL
FACULTAD DE INGENIERÍA EN GEOLOGÍA Y PETRÓLEOS
INGENIERÍA EN PETRÓLEOS
TRATAMIENTO Y MANTENIMIENTO DE AGUAS DE PRODUCCIÓN
Bibliography References

 Sarubbo Leonie, Biosurfactants: Classification, Properties and Environmental Applications

(2012), ResearchGate, Recuperated of:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Leonie_Sarubbo/publication/280841136_Biosurfac
tants_Classification_Properties_and_Environmental_Applications/links/55c90f1008aebc96
7df90aea/Biosurfactants-Classification-Properties-and-Environmental-Applications.pdf
 Laura J. Raiger Iustman y Nancy I López. Los biosurfactantes y la industria petrolera (2009),
Recuperated of:
http://www.quimicaviva.qb.fcen.uba.ar/v8n3/biorremediacion/biorremediacion.pdf
 Calvo C., Manzanera M., Silva-Castro G.A., Uad I., Gonzalez-Lopez J., Application of
bioemulsifiers in soil oil bioremediation processes. Future prospects. Science of The Total
Environment (2009) Recuperated of:
http://www.quimicaviva.qb.fcen.uba.ar/v8n3/biorremediacion
 Marchant, R. and Banat, I. Microbial biosurfactants: challenges and opportunities for future
exploitation, Trends in Biotechnology (2012) Recuperated of:
http://www.quimicaviva.qb.fcen.uba.ar/v8n3/biorremediacion