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).
