Geobiotics, LLC

Genentech, Inc.

Geo Fossil Fuels, LLC

Research Development Foundation

Genetech, Inc.

Geosynfuels, LLC

Giobiotics, Inc.

William J Kohr

David V Goeddel

Gordon A Vehar

Diane Pennica

Vandy Shrader

Chris Johansson

Arthur D Levinson

Christian C Simonsen

Elizabeth M Yelverton

Zhaoduo Zhang

David J Galgoczy

Dennis G Kleid

Francis R Thibodeau

John Shield

Michael G Rosenblum

Bharat B Aggarwal

A method is provided for the production of an aqueous composition suitable for direct use in a water-flood oil recovery process, which comprises a clarified fermentation fluid containing at least one dissolved polysaccharide, along with the clarified fermentation fluid and aqueous compositions prepared by such method.

Compositions comprising and methods of making bio-polymers

A method of enhanced oil recovery that includes water-flooding an oil reservoir with an alkaline fluid or a fluid containing a compound toxic to indigenous microbes and inoculating the oil reservoir with a consortium comprising microbes that naturally are, or are engineered to be, obligatory alkaphilic, halo-alkaphilic or alkaline tolerant, and naturally are, or are engineered to be, deficient in their ability to utilize short chain hydrocarbons of 12 carbons or less but have the ability to convert hydrocarbons into fatty acids.

Alkaline microbial enhanced oil recovery

Aspects of the invention include methods and compositions for microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). In particular, the invention focuses on new, efficient, economical and environmentally safe microbial methods to enhance oil recovery in existing oil reservoirs, as well as microorganisms useful in such methods.

Microbial enhanced oil recovery methods utilizing a microorganism that is deficient in its ability to degrade short chain hydrocarbons

The present invention provides methods for increasing the viscosity of the drive fluid for displacing oil from a subterranean formation by the use of microorganisms selected or modified for the ability to produce cell free polymers without the formation of any significant bioplugging biofilm or capsule.

Microbial enhanced oil recovery method

A method of enhanced oil recovery that includes water-flooding an oil reservoir with an alkaline fluid or a fluid containing a compound toxic to indigenous microbes and inoculating the oil reservoir with a consortium comprising microbes that naturally are, or are engineered to be, obligatory alkaliphilic, halo-alkaliphilic or alkaline tolerant, and naturally are, or are engineered to be, deficient in their ability to utilize short chain hydrocarbons of 12 carbons or less but have the ability to convert hydrocarbons into fatty acids.

Efficient, economical and environmentally safe microbial methods to enhance oil recovery in existing oil reservoirs, as well as microorganisms useful in such methods. The microorganisms are capable of growing in an environment of high salinity, and are deficient in their ability to degrade short chain hydrocarbons of about 12 carbons or less.

Microbial enhanced oil recovery methods

A method for recovering metal values from refractory sulfide ores is provided. The method includes the steps of separating clays and fines from crushed refractory sulfide ore, forming a heap from the refractory sulfide ore, producing a concentrate of refractory sulfide minerals from the separated fines and adding the concentrate to the heap, bioleaching the heap to thereby oxidize iron sulfides contained therein, and hydrometallurgically treating the bioleached ore to recover metal values contained therein.

Method for recovering metal values from refractory sulfide ore

A method of biotreating and recovering metal values from metal-bearing refractrory sulfide ore using a nonstirred surface bioreactor is provided. According to the method, the surface of a plurality of coarse substrates is coated with a solid material to be biotreated to form a plurality of coated coarse substrates. The coarse substrates have a particle size greater than about 0.3 cm and the solid material to be biotreated has a particle size less than about 250 &#x3bc;m. A nonstirred surface reactor is then formed by stacking the plurality of coated coarse substrates into a heap or placing the plurality of coated coarse substrates into a tank so that the void volume of the reactor is greater than or equal to about 25%. The solid material is biotreated in the surface bioreactor until the undesired compound in the solid material is degraded to a desired concentration.

Method of biotreatment for solid materials in a nonstirred surface bioreactor

A method of biotreating a solid material including an organic compound is provided. According to the method, a nonstirred bioreactor having a void volume of greater than or equal to 25% with a mixture including a solid material to be biotreated and a plurality of coarse substrates having a particle size greater than or equal to about 0.6 cm is formed. The solid material to be biotreated includes an organic material. The mixture includes sufficient coarse substrates to provide the reactor with at least 100 square meters of surface area per cubic meter of reactor space. The solid material in the bioreactor is biotreated until the organic material within the bioreactor is reduced to a desired concentration.

Method of biotreating a solid material comprising an organic compound

A heap is constructed with hypogenic copper sulfide bearing ore to include exposed sulfide mineral particles at least 25 weight % of which are hypogenic copper sulfides. The concentration of the exposed sulfide mineral particles is such that the heap includes at least 10 Kg of exposed sulfide sulfur per tonne of solids in the heap. At least 50% of the total copper in the heap is in the form of hypogenic copper sulfides. A substantial portion of the heap is heated to at least 50&#xb0; C. The heap is inoculated with a thermophilic microorganism, and bioleaching is carried out so that sufficient sulfide mineral particles in the heap are biooxidized to oxidize at least 10 Kg of sulfide sulfur per tonne of solids in the heap and to cause the dissolution of at least 50% of the copper in the heap in a relatively short period of time.

High temperature heap bioleaching process

A method of producing fuel from biodegradable carbonaceous material using a stacked particle bioreactor is provided. A stacked particle bioreactor is formed from particles including biodegradable carbonaceous material. The biodegradable carbonaceous material in the stacked particle bioreactor is aerobically and/or anaerobically bioconverted into one or more synfuels, which are collected from the reactor. The synfuels produced by the method may include synthetic petroleum, alcohol, and/or a gaseous fuel containing methane. Preferably the method includes an aerobic biotreatment phase followed by an anaerobic bioconversion phase. A stacked particle bioreactor for carrying out the anaerobic, and preferably aerobic, degradation is also described.

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San Mateo, CA, United States of America

William J Kohr