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Beneficiaries
Wells of the ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) in Gujarat have been revived, thanks to this technology, and are functioning
again. The MEOR technology, when applied in 25 oil wells of ONGC, extracted 4500 cubic metres of oil from one of the sick wells,
translating into revenues of more than 675 000 dollars. The Company plans to use the technology for other sick oil wells in Gujarat
and Assam. Its benefits such as cost-effective use and environment-friendly nature have generated interest among oil firms in the
Middle East and other oil-producing countries.
Funded partly by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, the project received financial assistance of 10 million
rupees from ONGC, and technical and infrastructural support from the IRS (Institute of Reservoir Studies), a research wing of
ONGC. T E R I and ONGC have already jointly applied for this technology.
Applications/benefits
Oil recovered through TERI's microbial technology has helped bring down the cost of oil substantially. Depending upon the nature of
recovery, the price of each barrel of oil can decrease by as much as 35%40%. Moreover, the environment-friendly nature of this
form of oil recovery gives it an edge over other conventional methods. The possibilities that these invisible, living organisms offer us
are immense and still not fully tapped.
A technological breakthrough
Microbial biotechnology came to the rescue when researchers at TERI cultured a set of microbes that could survive temperatures as
high as 90 oC, air pressure up to 140 kilograms per square centimetre, and strong salinity with concentration levels ranging from 4%
to 8%. Techniques used earlier for oil recovery employed microbes that could bear temperatures only up to 65 oC. T E R I cultured
these stronger bacteria in simulated conditions of oil wells complete with high temperature, high pressure, and heavy salt
concentration. The product was successfully tested in oil wells in Gujarat and the rest, as they say, is history.