RESEARCH
COULD IMPROVE OIL RECOVERY, AID ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP
8-2-12
CORVALLIS,
Ore. – Researchers have taken a new look at an old, but seldom-used technique
developed by the petroleum industry to recover oil, and learned more about why
it works, how it could be improved, and how it might be able to make a comeback
not only in oil recovery but also environmental cleanup.
The
technology, called “microbial enhanced oil recovery,” was first developed
decades ago, but oil drillers largely lost interest in it due to its cost,
inconsistent results and a poor understanding of what was actually happening
underground.
read more:
image: