Application of biosurfactant in petroleum

Abstract

As demonstrated by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, crude oil is crucial for our society, and geopolitical instabilities, which cause uncertainties about petroleum production and distribution, have a significant impact in the price of crude oil and, consequently, in our daily life. According to the International Energy Agency, crude oil demand is expected to increase up to 1 × 108 barrels per day by 2026, mainly due to the delay in the development and implementation of renewable energies. As crude oil is a limited resource, it is necessary to develop technologies that allow its efficient exploitation. It is estimated that 7 × 1012 crude oil barrels remain entrapped in the oil reservoirs worldwide, which cannot be recovered through conventional oil recovery, and are the target of Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (CEOR). Surfactants are one of the most studied compounds for application in CEOR, either alone or in combination with polymers. Chemical surfactants commonly used in CEOR, which are environmentally hazardous, could be replaced by surfactants of microbial origin (biosurfactants), as demonstrated by numerous studies performed in the recent years. Biosurfactants display a similar or better performance than chemical surfactants, besides being more environmentally friendly. This chapter will provide a critical review of the advances performed in the last five years regarding the application of biosurfactants in petroleum.