Nutrient for stimulating aerobic bacteria
AssigneeInternational Technology Corporation
InventorsRichard A. Brown, Robert D. Norris
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a composition of nutrients and a method using such a composition to stimulate the growth of aerobic bacteria, and particularly bacteria capable of biooxidizing contaminants in a subterranean formation.
Claims16
A process for stimulating the growth of aerobic bacteria which comprises providing aerobic conditions for the aerobic bacteria and supplying a nitrogenphosphorus nutrient supplement composition to the aerobic bacteria, said composition comprising nitrogen and phosphorus in said composition in the range of from 0.8 to 8 parts by weight of nitrogen per part by weight of phosphorus wherein the phosphorus is incorporated in the composition as an orthophosphate compound and a short-chain condensed phosphate compound and wherein from 5% to 65% by weight of the phosphorus in the combined orthophosphate compound and the condensed phosphate compound in the composition is present as the condensed phosphate compound.
A process for stimulating bacterial growth within a subterranean formation to bioxidize a contaminant in the subterranean formation which comprises supplying a nitrogen-phosphorus nutrient supplement composition to the aerobic bacteria in the subterranean formation, said composition comprising nitrogen and phosphorus in said composition in the range of 0.8 to 8 parts by weight of nitrogen per part by weight of phosphorus, wherein the phosphorus is incorporated in the composition as an orthophosphate compound and a short-chain condensed phosphate compound and wherein from 5% to 65% by weight of the phosphorus in the combined orthophosphate compound and the condensed phosphate compound in the composition is present as the condensed phosphate compound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.