Abstract: Bioremediation for the Management of Exploration and Production Residuals: Pitfalls to Avoid

Don A. Lundy, Geoffrey H. Swett

Recent federal, state, and property-owner initiatives have increased the environmental concern related to the management of exploration and production residuals. These initiatives include the federal and state Superfund programs, state oil and gas commission regulations, and property-owner litigation with lease holders. These initiatives have caused exploration and production departments to evaluate alternative management options for oil field residuals.

Oil field residuals include drilling muds and cuttings, crude oil tank bottoms, produced waters, and crude-oil-contaminated soils. Often times these materials were managed in pits and lagoons at facilities close to the producing wells.

Bioremediation has been demonstrated to be a cost effective means to manage soils and sludges containing petroleum hydrocarbons. However, the technology is not without limitations. The poster session will analyze successful and unsuccessful bioremediation projects at exploration and production facilities. Based on this analysis, a decision tree will be provided to screen oil field residuals for bioremediation.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90986©1994 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado, June 12-15, 1994