Monitoring sulfide and sulfate-reducing bacteria

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:270494

Tanner, R S

Simple yet precise and accurate methods for monitoring sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and sulfide remain useful for the study of bacterial souring and corrosion. Test kits are available to measure sulfide in field samples. A more precise methylene blue sulfide assay for both field and laboratory studies is described here. Improved media, compared to that in API RP-38, for enumeration of SRB have been formulated. One of these, API-RST, contained cysteine (1.1 mM) as a reducing agent, which may be a confounding source of sulfide. While cysteine was required for rapid enumeration of SRB from environmental samples, the concentration of cysteine in medium could be reduced to 0.4 mM. It was also determined that elevated levels of yeast extract (>1 g/liter) could interfere with enumeration of SRB from environmental samples. The API-RST medium was modified to a RST-11 medium. Other changes in medium composition, in addition to reduction of cysteine, included reduction of the concentration of phosphate from 3.4 mM to 2.2 mM, reduction of the concentration of ferrous iron from 0.8 mM to 0.5 mM and preparation of a stock mineral solution to ease medium preparation. SRB from environmental samples could be enumerated in a week in this medium.

• Research Organization: BDM Oklahoma, Inc., Bartlesville, OK (United States)
• OSTI ID: 270494
• Report Number(s): CONF-9509173--; ON: DE96001220
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
BACTERIA
BRINES
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DESULFURIZATION
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OIL WELLS
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PRODUCTION
SULFATES