Patent ID: 8371377
Filing Date: 2013-02-12
Classification: C09K

Abstract:
1. A method comprising the steps of: a) treating a subterranean site in a zone adjacent to a water injection well with a detoxifying agent to detoxify the zone wherein, prior to the treatment, corrosion inhibitors and their degradation products have been adsorbed into the zone and have accumulated to concentrations that are toxic to microorganisms used in microbial enhanced oil recovery and bioremediation processes, and thereby have formed a toxic zone, and b) adding an inoculum of microorganisms wherein the microorganisms comprise one or more species of: wherein the detoxifying agent is also a dispersing agent selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid, acetic acid and oxalic acid; and wherein the corrosion inhibitor comprises an organic compound selected from the group consisting of organic phosphonates, organic nitrogen compounds, organic acids and their salts and esters, carboxylic acids and their salts and esters, sulfonic acids and their salts.