Texaco Inc.

Peter D Robison

Arthur J Stipanovic

Mitri S Najjar

Matthew A McMahon

Ronald J McKeon

Nick C Wan

Susan Easter

Charles E Stypulkoski

A chemically disinfected sewage sludge-containing material comprising (1) an aqueous slurry of sewage sludge-containing material having a solids content in the range of about 10 to 30 wt. %; and (2) a chemical disinfectant comprising a water soluble silicate of sodium in the amount of 5 to 20 wt. % (basis dry wt. of said sewage sludge). In one embodiment, a pumpable chemically disinfected sewage sludge-containing material was produced by the steps of (1) dewatering sewage sludge to produce an aqueous slurry having a solids content of about 10 to 30 wt. %; (2) shearing the dewatered sewage sludge from (1) at a temperature in the range of about ambient to 230.degree. F. and at a shear rate of at least 30 per second for a period in the range of about 0.5 to 180 minutes; and (3) mixing the following materials together at a temperature in the range of about ambient to 230.degree. F. to produce a pumpable aqueous slurry having a solids content in the range of about 30 to 65 wt. % and a pH of at least about 11: (a) about 0.5 to 7 parts by wt. of sheared dewatered sewage sludge from (2); (b) about 5 to 20 wt. % of a silicate of sodium (basis total dry weight of sewage sludge); and (c) about 5 to 7 parts by wt. of at least one material from the group consisting of sewage sludge-containing material, liquid hydrocarbonaceous fuel, solid carbonaceous fuel-containing material, and mixtures thereof.

Chemically disinfected sewage sludge-containing materials

A variant strain of Agrobacter radiobacter has been found to produce a unique heteropolysaccharide containing D-galactose, D-glucose and pyruvic acid in approximate molar ratios of 2:15:2 in a seventeen member repeat unit having the structure shown below, wherein Glc represents D-glucose, Gal represents D-galactose and Pyr represents pyruvic acid, with the numerals indicating the positions of linkage in these ring structures. The heteropolysaccharide is useful in mobility control in oil reservoir formations, especially when crosslinked with trivalent metal cations (Cr.sup.3+, Al.sup.3+, Fe.sup.3+ or Ti.sup.3+) to form a gel which preferentially fills high permeability zones in such reservoirs. ##STR1##

Heteropolysaccharide preparation and use thereof as a mobility control

A process for recovering hydrocarbons from a subterranean hydrocarbon bearing formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well which comprises injecting an aqueous drive fluid into the formation and forcing the drive fluid through the formation to recover the hydrocarbons from the production well.

Method for oil recovery using a modified heteropolysaccharide

A variant strain of the organism Lactobacillus delbrueckii, accession number ATCC 53197, is provided as well as an improved process for the preparation of lactic acid by the fermentation of carbohydrates using the method strain of Lactobacillus delbrueckii.

Growing community of inventors

Poughkeepsie, NY, United States of America

Peter D Robison