PFI-BIC: Silica-based Bioremediation Technology Platform with Applications for a Growing Shale Gas/Oil Industry

PFI-BIC：基于二氧化硅的生物修复技术平台，适用于不断发展的页岩气/石油行业

• 批准号: 1237754
• 负责人: Lawrence Wackett
• 金额: $ 60万
• 依托单位: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-01 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1237754&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PFI; BIC; Silica; based; Bioremediation

This Partnership for Innovation project from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities will take a successful bioremediation technology previously used for pesticide removal from water and re-engineer it for use in microbiologically-enhanced coal-bed natural gas recovery from depleted gas wells and in bioremediation of the percentage of water returned via the well from waters generated during the hydraulic fracturing (fracking) method of drilling for shale oil, oil sands, and gas. The technology is based on encapsulating microorganisms in an inexpensive, safe, extended life-time, silica-based hybrid gel. The microbes are stabilized within the gel and continue to biodegrade pesticides for more than four months. In re-engineering the platform technology for enhanced recovery, communities of microorganisms that transform coal to natural gas will be stabilized by silica encapsulation for ease of transport, enhanced stability, and improvement of function. In re-engineering of the platform technology for bioremediation, microbes will be stabilized and rendered highly active to biodegrade organic contaminants within the percentage of water returned via the well from waters generated during the hydraulic fracturing (fracking) method of drilling. The broader impacts of this research are on possible future applications to an efficient and safe oil and gas industry. There is a strong link between a robust domestic energy sector and the creation of new jobs. The U.S. has recently become a net exporter of energy, credited largely to advances in shale oil and gas extraction that use hydraulic fracturing. This proposal develops technologies to enhance gas and oil recovery and a platform that can minimize the environmental impacts from a percentage of the water that is returned via the well and then kept in settling ponds. Two of the knowledge enhancement partners (KEPs) will take away technology to develop and scale-up production of silica-encapsulated, biodegrading bacteria that can be used for treating fracking water in settling ponds. Biostabilization imparted by the silica materials is also important for preserving microbial communities that transform coal to natural gas. One of the KEPs will take away this technology to enhance the ability to deliver microorganisms that increase natural gas production throughout the U.S. and potentially in foreign markets. This application is important because the U.S. has enormous coal reserves and enhancing coal to methane conversion will contribute to a clean energy future for our country.Partners at the inception of the project: the lead instituion, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Department of Biochemistry; Bioresource Center, Biotechnology Institute; Sponsored Projects Administration; Office of Technology Commercialization; Venture Center; and Office of the General Counsel; KEP core small businesses: 1) Luca Technologies (Boulder, CO) 3F LLC (St. Paul, MN) and 3) Tundra Companies (White Bear Lake, MN).

明尼苏达大学双子城分校的这一创新合作项目将采用一项成功的生物修复技术，将其重新设计，用于枯竭气井的微生物强化煤层气开采，以及页岩油、油砂和天然气的水力压裂（fracking）钻井过程中产生的水的生物修复百分比。该技术是基于将微生物封装在一种廉价、安全、延长寿命的硅基混合凝胶中。这些微生物在凝胶中稳定下来，并在四个多月的时间里继续生物降解农药。在重新设计平台技术以提高采收率的过程中，将煤转化为天然气的微生物群落将通过二氧化硅封装来稳定，以方便运输，增强稳定性和改善功能。在生物修复平台技术的重新设计中，微生物将被稳定并变得高度活跃，以生物降解水力压裂（fracking）钻井方法产生的水中通过井返回的百分比内的有机污染物。这项研究的更广泛影响是未来可能应用于高效、安全的石油和天然气行业。一个强劲的国内能源部门与创造新的就业机会之间有着密切的联系。美国最近已成为能源净出口国，这在很大程度上归功于使用水力压裂技术的页岩油气开采技术的进步。该方案开发了提高天然气和石油采收率的技术，以及一个平台，该平台可以最大限度地减少通过井返回的水对环境的影响，然后将其保存在沉淀池中。其中两个知识增强合作伙伴（kep）将获得技术，用于开发和扩大二氧化硅封装的生物降解细菌的生产规模，这些细菌可用于处理沉淀池中的水力压裂水。二氧化硅材料赋予的生物稳定性对于保存将煤转化为天然气的微生物群落也很重要。其中一个kep将采用这项技术来提高微生物的输送能力，从而增加美国乃至国外市场的天然气产量。这一应用非常重要，因为美国拥有巨大的煤炭储量，提高煤制甲烷的转化率将为我国的清洁能源未来做出贡献。项目启动时的合作伙伴：牵头机构，明尼苏达大学双城分校（生物化学系、生物资源中心、生物技术研究所、赞助项目管理局、技术商业化办公室、风险中心和总法律顾问办公室；KEP核心小企业：1）Luca Technologies (Boulder， CO) 3F LLC （St. Paul， MN）和3)Tundra Companies（白熊湖，MN）。