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

明尼苏达大学双城分校的这一创新伙伴关系项目将采用一种以前用于从水中去除农药的成功生物修复技术，并对其进行重新设计，用于从枯竭的气井中通过微生物增强的煤层天然气回收，以及用于生物修复通过井从页岩油、油砂和天然气的水力压裂(水力压裂)方法产生的水中返回的水的百分比。这项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。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杀虫剂。在重新设计平台技术以提高采收率时，将通过二氧化硅包裹稳定将煤转化为天然气的微生物群落，以便于运输、增强稳定性和改善功能。这项研究的更广泛影响是关于未来可能应用于高效和安全的石油和天然气行业。强劲的国内能源行业与创造新的就业机会之间存在着密切的联系。美国最近已成为能源净出口国，这在很大程度上要归功于使用水力压裂技术的页岩油气开采技术的进步。这项提议开发了提高天然气和石油回收的技术，并开发了一个平台，可以最大限度地减少通过油井返回并保存在沉淀池中的一定比例的水对环境的影响。其中两个知识增强伙伴(KEP)将剥夺开发和扩大生产二氧化硅包裹的生物降解菌的技术，这些细菌可用于处理沉淀池中的水力压裂水。二氧化硅材料提供的生物稳定对于保护将煤炭转化为天然气的微生物群落也很重要。其中一位Kep将取消这项技术，以增强输送微生物的能力，从而增加美国各地的天然气产量，并有可能增加外国市场的天然气产量。这一应用非常重要，因为美国拥有巨大的煤炭储量，加强煤炭到甲烷的转化将有助于我们国家的清洁能源未来。项目开始时的合作伙伴：明尼苏达双城大学牵头机构(生物化学系；生物资源中心，生物技术研究所；赞助项目管理；技术商业化办公室；风险中心；和总法律顾问办公室；KEP核心小型企业：1)Luca Technologies(CO，Boulder)3F LLC(圣保罗，明尼苏达州)和3)Tundra Companies(白熊湖，明尼苏达州)。

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).