# US 2017/0283685 A1 · Specific inhibitors of (per)chlorate respiration as a means to enhance the effectiveness of (per)chlorate as a souring control mechanism in oil reservoirs > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0283685 A1 - Document ID: US20170283685A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/510,169 - Filed: 2015-09-11 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2014-09-12 - Assignees: The Regents of the University of California - Applicants: The Regents of the University of California - Inventors: John D. COATES - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170283685A1 ## CPC - C09K 8/528: inorganic depositions, e.g. sulfates or carbonates - C09K 8/532: Sulfur - C09K 8/54: Compositions for in situ inhibition of corrosion in boreholes or wells - C12N 1/20: Bacteria; Culture media therefor - C09K 2208/20: Hydrogen sulfide elimination - C09K 2208/32: Anticorrosion additives - C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00) ## Abstract The present disclosure relates generally to methods of controlling souring in systems, and more specifically to methods of using chlorine oxyanions and inhibitors of (per)chlorate respiration to control souring in a system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for controlling souring, the method comprising: a) providing a system comprising one or more sulfate-reducing microorganisms and one or more (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria; b) contacting the system with a composition comprising one or more chlorine oxyanions, or one or more precursor compounds which yield one or more chlorine oxyanions, wherein the chlorine oxyanions are present in the system at a concentration sufficient to inhibit souring in the system; and c) contacting the system with a composition comprising an inhibitor of (per)chlorate respiration, wherein the inhibitor of (per)chlorate respiration is present in the system at a concentration sufficient to inhibit (per)chlorate respiration by the one or more (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria, wherein (per)chlorate consumption is reduced and souring is inhibited in the system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the system is an oil reservoir. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria are selected from the group consisting of Ideonella; Dechloromarinus; Dechloromarinus strain NSS; Dechloromonas; Dechloromonas strain FL2, FL8, FL9, CKB, CL, NM, MLC33, JM, HZ, CL24plus, CL24, CC0, RCB, SIUL, and MissR; Dechloromonas aromaticae; Dechloromonas hortensis; Magnetospirillum; Magnetospirillum strain SN1, WD, DB, and VDY; Azospirillum; Azospirillum strain TTI; Azospira; Azospira strain AH, Iso1, Iso2, SDGM, PDX, KJ, GR-1, and perc lace; Azospira suillum strain PS; Acrobacter; Acrobacter strain CAB; Dechlorobacter; Dechlorobacter hydrogenophilus strain LT-1; Propionivibrio; Propionivibrio strain MP; Wolinella; Wolinella succinogenes strain HAP-1; Moorella; Moorella perchloratireducens, Moorella thermoacetica; Sporomusa; Sporomusa strain An4; Ferroglobus placidus; Desulfosporosinus meridiei; Desulfitobacterium dehalogenans; D. dechloroeliminans; Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans; Proteus; Proteus mirabilis; Escherichia; Shewanella; Shewanella alga; Shewanella alga strain ACDC; Shewanella oneidensis strain MR1; Sedimenticola; Sedimenticola selenatireducens AK40H1; Sedimenticola selenatireducens CUZ; Rhodobacter; Rhodobacter capsulatus; Rhodobacter sphaeroides; Alicycliphilus; Alicycliphilus denitroficans; Pseudomonas strain PK, CFPBD, PDA, and PDB; Pseudomonas chloritidismutans; and Archaeglobus; Archaeglobus fulgidus. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more chlorine oxyanions are selected from the group consisting of hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, chlorite, chlorate, perchlorate, and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more chlorine oxyanions are perchlorate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises adding nitrite and/or nitrate at a concentration sufficient to inhibit souring in the system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the nitrite and/or nitrate is added to the system prior to adding the composition comprising one or more chlorine oxyanions to the system, or the one or more compounds which yield the one or more chlorine oxyanions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein nitrite is added in an amount sufficient to yield a chlorine oxyanion to nitrite ratio of at least 100:1 in the system. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises a step of removing elemental sulfur produced by the one or more (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria from the system. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the inhibitor of (per)chlorate respiration is a structural analog of (per)chlorate. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the inhibitor of (per)chlorate respiration is selected from the group consisting of bromate, periodate, and iodate. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the concentration of the inhibitor of (per)chlorate respiration in the system is in the range of about 0.05 mM to about 10 mM. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein souring in the system is inhibited by about 50% or more as compared to a corresponding system not contacted with one or more chlorine oxyanions and one or more inhibitors of (per)chlorate respiration. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein souring is assayed by measuring parameters selected from the group consisting of sulfate respiration, hydrogen sulfide production, fluid contamination, metal corrosion, and clogging of the system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria comprise one or more recombinant nucleic acids selected from the group consisting of a nucleic acid that encodes nar (Af_0174-0176); a nucleic acid that encodes pcrA (Daro_2584), a nucleic acid that encodes pcrB (Daro_2583), a nucleic acid that encodes pcrC (Daro_2582), a nucleic acid that encodes pcrD (Daro_2581), a nucleic acid that encodes cld (Daro_2580), a nucleic acid that encodes moaA (Daro_2577), a nucleic acid that encodes pcrQ (Daro_2579), a nucleic acid that encodes pcrO (Daro_2578), a nucleic acid that encodes pcrS (Daro_2586), a nucleic acid that encodes pcrR (Daro_2585), a nucleic acid that encodes pcrP (Daro_2587), a nucleic acid that encodes S (Daro_2590), a nucleic acid that encodes AS (Daro_2589), a nucleic acid that encodes OR1 (Daro_2591), a nucleic acid that encodes OR2 (Daro_2592), and a nucleic acid that encodes OR3 (Daro_2593). ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria comprise a cryptic (per)chlorate reduction pathway. ### Claim 17 A method for controlling souring, the method comprising: a) providing a system comprising one or more sulfate-reducing microorganisms; b) contacting the system with one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of bromate, iodate, and periodate, wherein the one or more compounds are present in the system at a concentration sufficient to inhibit souring in the system. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the system further comprises one or more (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising contacting the system with a composition comprising one or more chlorine oxyanions, or one or more precursor compounds which yield one or more chlorine oxyanions. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more chlorine oxyanions are selected from the group consisting of hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, chlorite, chlorate, perchlorate, and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more chlorine oxyanions are perchlorate. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises adding nitrite and/or nitrate at a concentration sufficient to inhibit souring in the system. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein the nitrite and/or nitrate is added to the system prior to adding the composition comprising one or more chlorine oxyanions to the system, or the one or more compounds which yield the one or more chlorine oxyanions. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein nitrite is added in an amount sufficient to yield a chlorine oxyanion to nitrite ratio of at least 100:1 in the system. ### Claim 25 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises a step of removing elemental sulfur produced by the one or more (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria from the system. ### Claim 26 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the concentration of one or more of bromate, iodate, and/or periodate in the system is in the range of about 0.05 mM to about 10 mM. ### Claim 27 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein souring in the system is inhibited by about 50% or more as compared to a corresponding system not contacted with one or more of bromate, iodate, and/or periodate. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein souring is assayed by measuring parameters selected from the group consisting of sulfate respiration, hydrogen sulfide production, fluid contamination, metal corrosion, and clogging of the system. ### Claim 29 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the system is an engineered system. ### Claim 30 (depends on 1) A crude oil product produced by the method of claim 1.