ArticleScientific reports2026
Experimental study of microbial enhanced oil recovery in fractured porous media using the halophilic bacterium Haloferax mediterranei.
Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Rheology and gelation kinetics of sulfonated polyacrylamide/Cr(III) acetate gels for water shut-off: effects of salinity, temperature, and shear.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Effects of temperature, brine, and inhibitor chemistry on emulsion stability in gas condensate systems under pipeline mixing conditions.Scientific reports · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Fractured reservoirs, comprising over 20% of the world's oil reserves, present significant challenges to enhanced oil recovery (EOR). This study investigates the potential of the halophilic bacterium Haloferax mediterranei in microbial EOR (MEOR) for improving oil recovery in fractured porous media. Experiments using a heterogeneous glass micromodel were conducted at biomass concentrations of 5.07, 6.74, and 10.14 g/L. Results showed that the optimal biomass concentration (5.07 g/L) increased oil recovery by 23% through selective plugging. Higher biomass concentrations caused excessive polymer production, blocking communication pathways between the matrix and fractures, reducing oil recovery to 11.7% and 7.8%. Permeability reductions were evaluated in two core samples, achieving average reductions of 53.5%, 62.5%, and 73.5% for the respective biomass concentrations. Using the optimal biomass concentration (5.07 g/L), oil recovery in two similar core samples increased by 14% and 12.6%. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing biomass concentration to balance permeability reduction and oil recovery efficiency. The study highlights MEOR's potential as a cost-effective, sustainable strategy for enhancing oil recovery in fractured reservoirs. It also provides valuable insights for improving future EOR operations, contributing to global energy resource sustainability.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.