Zhang Miao, Wei Biao, Liu Hao, Liu Daoqing, Gadd Geoffrey Michael, Li Qianwei, Chen Chunmao
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China.
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China; Geomicrobiology Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland, UK.
Water Res. 2025 May 15;276:123252. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2025.123252. Epub 2025 Feb 8.
Oilfield-produced water (PW), the largest by-product of petroleum extraction, presents significant treatment challenges due to high concentrations of total dissolved solids, heavy metals, and organic compounds. In this study, a ureolytic bacterium Staphylococcus succinus J3, with efficient petroleum degradation and microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) capabilities, was screened for simultaneous removal of hardness ions and organic pollutants from PW. Strain J3 showed excellent removal of Ca (95 %), organic contaminants (62 %), and heavy metals (100 % for As and Mn, 94 % for Cu, 71 % for Ba) in high salinity PW under low nutrient conditions. Mechanistic analysis revealed that the bacteria removed organic pollutants through biodegradation, and the biominerals generated by MICP further accelerated the removal of organic contaminants through adsorption. Meanwhile, molecular characterization via FT-ICR MS demonstrated the conversion of large organic molecules into smaller, less toxic compounds, facilitating the downstream treatment of PW. Furthermore, the ammonium by-product (NH-N) from urea hydrolysis was efficiently recovered (83.73 %) as ammonium sulfate for agricultural production through Donnan dialysis (DD). This research presents a promising new approach for the pre-treatment of high-hardness organic wastewater and provides molecular-level insights into the mechanisms of organic matter removal, thus supporting the advancement and optimization of PW recycling technology.
油田采出水（PW）是石油开采过程中产生的最大副产品，由于其总溶解固体、重金属和有机化合物浓度较高，带来了重大的处理挑战。在本研究中，筛选了一种具有高效石油降解和微生物诱导碳酸钙沉淀（MICP）能力的解脲细菌——琥珀葡萄球菌J3，用于同时去除采出水中的硬度离子和有机污染物。菌株J3在低营养条件下，对高盐度采出水中的钙（95%）、有机污染物（62%）和重金属（砷和锰为100%，铜为94%，钡为71%）表现出优异的去除效果。机理分析表明，细菌通过生物降解去除有机污染物，MICP产生的生物矿物通过吸附进一步加速有机污染物的去除。同时，通过傅里叶变换离子回旋共振质谱（FT-ICR MS）进行的分子表征表明，大有机分子转化为更小、毒性更低的化合物，有利于采出水的下游处理。此外，通过唐南渗析（DD），尿素水解产生的副产物铵（NH-N）以硫酸铵的形式被高效回收（83.73%）用于农业生产。本研究提出了一种有前景的高硬度有机废水预处理新方法，并提供了有机物去除机制的分子水平见解，从而支持采出水循环利用技术的进步和优化。
