Team:Lethbridge/projectfuture

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<h2 class="pagetitle">Project Overview</h2>
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<h2 class="pagetitle">Significance and Future Direction</h2>
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<p>Increasing global oil demands require new, innovative technologies for the extraction of unconventional oil sources such as those found in Alberta’s Carbonate Triangle. Carbonate oil deposits account for almost 50% of the world’s oil reserves and approximately 26% of the bitumen found in Alberta 1. Due to unstable oil prices in Western Canada, these vast reserves have historically been set aside in favour of less time consuming, more economical sites. Microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) has been utilized across the world to increase the productivity of difficult resources including carbonate oil deposits. Using a synthetic biology approach, we have designed the CAB (CO2, acetic acid, and biosurfactant) extraction method that demonstrates a modified MEOR method for extracting carbonate oil deposits. CAB extraction will utilize the natural carbon fixation machinery in the cyanobacteria Synechococcus elongatus to convert CO2 into sugars to fuel acetic acid and biosurfactant production in Escherichia coli. Acetic acid applied to carbonate rock increases the pore sizes and allows for enhanced oil recovery. The reaction produces gases that will help pressurize the well site to facilitate extraction. The natural biosurfactant rhamnolipid will also be applied to the carbonate rock to further enhance extraction yields.</p>
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<p>Developing new methods for extraction of unconventional oil deposits is necessary to meet global oil demands. Using a synthetic biology approach we have outlined a novel, inexpensive method for MEOR from carbonate oil deposits. Carbon capture will be coupled with biological production of acetic acid and biosurfactant to increase recovery from carbonate oil deposits while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. CAB extraction will eliminate the need for developing bacteria that can survive in the extreme environment of oil reserves, since CAB products will be secreted into the growth media for collection before application in MEOR. In this way, the concentration of acetic acid and biosurfactant applied to the carbonate rock can be carefully controlled to facilitate enhanced and efficient oil recovery. Using natural carbon fixation pathways to fuel bacterial growth will reduce costs associated with maintaining bacterial cultures. Alternatively, the use of inexpensive sugars such as molasses from sugar refining can be used to support biological production of acetic acid and rhamnolipid17. As CAB extraction can be used for large-scale bioreactors, there will be reduced risk for environmental contamination by genetically modified organisms, and an inducible “kill switch” integrated into the bacterial genome provides further safety measures. The modular approach of CAB extraction will allow for individual optimization of carbon fixation and sugar production that can be applied to a variety of biological systems to capture CO2 for conversion into useful products. In future, synthetic carbon fixation pathways11 can be targeting into bacteria to enhance carbon capture for applications </p>
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<p>By coupling carbon capture with acetic acid and biosurfactant production, carbonate oil deposits can be mined with reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The use of carbon fixation to feed downstream systems can be tailored for use as a module in many applications requiring inexpensive methods for fueling biological systems. CAB extraction will be suitable for large-scale bioreactors, providing an alternative, inexpensive, and environmentally sustainable method for MEOR from Alberta’s oil deposits. Furthermore, developing the carbon capture module will be of interest in oil extraction strategies using steam, as it will help with the mitigation of CO2 release caused by steam production using for example natural gas. </p>
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Revision as of 03:04, 3 October 2012

2012 iGEM - University of Lethbridge

Project

Significance and Future Direction

Developing new methods for extraction of unconventional oil deposits is necessary to meet global oil demands. Using a synthetic biology approach we have outlined a novel, inexpensive method for MEOR from carbonate oil deposits. Carbon capture will be coupled with biological production of acetic acid and biosurfactant to increase recovery from carbonate oil deposits while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. CAB extraction will eliminate the need for developing bacteria that can survive in the extreme environment of oil reserves, since CAB products will be secreted into the growth media for collection before application in MEOR. In this way, the concentration of acetic acid and biosurfactant applied to the carbonate rock can be carefully controlled to facilitate enhanced and efficient oil recovery. Using natural carbon fixation pathways to fuel bacterial growth will reduce costs associated with maintaining bacterial cultures. Alternatively, the use of inexpensive sugars such as molasses from sugar refining can be used to support biological production of acetic acid and rhamnolipid17. As CAB extraction can be used for large-scale bioreactors, there will be reduced risk for environmental contamination by genetically modified organisms, and an inducible “kill switch” integrated into the bacterial genome provides further safety measures. The modular approach of CAB extraction will allow for individual optimization of carbon fixation and sugar production that can be applied to a variety of biological systems to capture CO2 for conversion into useful products. In future, synthetic carbon fixation pathways11 can be targeting into bacteria to enhance carbon capture for applications

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