Environmental Constraints
Several factors concomitantly affect microbial growth and activity. In oil reservoirs, such environmental constraints permit the establishment of criteria to assess and compare the suitability of various microorganisms. Those constraints may not be as harsh as other environments on Earth. For example with, connate brines the salinity is higher than that of sea water but lower than that of salt lakes. In addition, pressures up to 20 MPa and temperatures up to 80 °C, in oil reservoirs, are within the limits for the survival of other microorganisms.
Some environmental constraints creating selective pressures on cellular systems that may also affect microbial communities in oil reservoirs are:
Read more about this topic: Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery
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