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The seepage of gaseous compounds from underground reservoirs towards the surface causes abnormalities in the population of microbial communities that consume light hydrocarbons on the surface of the reservoir. This microbial population can serve as indicators for determining the location of gas reservoirs prior to drilling operations. In this study, the simulation of methane gas leakage in the sediments of the Persian Gulf was conducted using a laboratory model. The objective of this simulation was to identify the microbial population consuming methane within the sediments of the Persian Gulf, aiding in the exploration of gas reserves. Continuous injection of methane gas into the system was performed for a period of 3 months to enrich the microbial consortia consuming methane. Subsequently, the microbial population was identified using next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis. The results indicated that, based on the 16S rRNA sequencing dataset, aerobic methanotrophs, including genera Methylobacter , Methylomarinum , Methylomicrobium, Methylomonas , and Methylophage , were the dominant microbial group on the surface of the sediments. Additionally, anaerobic methane oxidation archaea in sediments were performed by ANME-2 and ANME-3 clades. The findings demonstrate that these microbial communities are capable of coexistence and thrive in long-term exposure to methane in the sediments of the Persian Gulf. Identifying this microbial pattern, alongside other geophysical and geological data, can increase the success rate of gas reservoir exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seepage of gaseous compounds from underground reservoirs towards the surface causes abnormalities in the population of microbial communities that consume light hydrocarbons on the surface of the reservoir. This microbial population can serve as indicators for determining the location of gas reservoirs prior to drilling operations. In this study, the simulation of methane gas leakage in the sediments of the Persian Gulf was conducted using a laboratory model. The objective of this simulation was to identify the microbial population consuming methane within the sediments of the Persian Gulf, aiding in the exploration of gas reserves. Continuous injection of methane gas into the system was performed for a period of 3 months to enrich the microbial consortia consuming methane. Subsequently, the microbial population was identified using next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis. The results indicated that, based on the 16S rRNA sequencing dataset, aerobic methanotrophs, including genera Methylobacter, Methylomarinum, Methylomicrobium, Methylomonas, and Methylophage, were the dominant microbial group on the surface of the sediments. Additionally, anaerobic methane oxidation archaea in sediments were performed by ANME-2 and ANME-3 clades. The findings demonstrate that these microbial communities are capable of coexistence and thrive in long-term exposure to methane in the sediments of the Persian Gulf. Identifying this microbial pattern, alongside other geophysical and geological data, can increase the success rate of gas reservoir exploration.

The editorial in "Frontiers in Microbiology" discusses the importance of microbial prospecting for biomaterials and bioengineering applications. Various studies have highlighted the potential of microorganisms in producing biomolecules, enzymes, and biopolymers with superior properties compared to synthetic alternatives. The editorial showcases research articles on topics such as biometallic nanoparticles for cancer treatment, bioactive molecules from Aspergillus sp., and serratiopeptidase production from Serratia marcescens for biomedical applications. Overall, the research presented emphasizes the potential of microbial prospecting in developing new products and optimizing existing processes. [Extracted from the article]

Microbial prospecting for oil and gas (MPOG) is a surface exploration technology derived from the principle of light hydrocarbon micro-seepage from oil and gas reservoirs. The light hydrocarbons (C1-C5) in oil and gas reservoirs permeate the overlying sedimentary layer in the way of micro-seepage, which induces the growth of microorganisms specializing in the consumption of light hydrocarbons in near-surface soil. As a result, the microbial concentration and community structure in oil and gas areas will be different from that without underlying oil and gas reservoirs. By analyzing the abnormal characteristics of microbial concentration and community structure, the oil and gas enrichment areas and oil and gas reservoirs are predicted. In recent years, the research team has established sample acquisition and pretreatment techniques for different geomorphology and surface types, and combined with traditional culturing and molecular biology methods, the precise diagnosis of oil and gas from the perspective of both hydrocarbon indication microorganism quantity and community structure is realized. The artificial simulation results lasting three years show that there are obvious differences and responsive relationships between the microorganisms and community structure under the acclimation of different hydrocarbon components. The strains found are consistent with the actual oil and gas reservoir, providing a theory basis for microbial exploration. In addition, the correlation among environmental conditions, hydrocarbon geochemistry and hydrocarbon microbial group distribution was studied using different oil and gas reservoir types and different geographical conditions. The rule of microbial community in situ of oil and gas reservoir samples was analyzed, and a database of oil and gas indicators in typical oil and gas basins in China was preliminarily constructed. The results showed that the surface microbial anomaly was closely related to the location of oil and gas reservoirs, and can reflectthe characteristics of oil and gas reservoirs of different types. Combined with petroleum geology and geophysical data, the microbial exploration technology can effectively predict the favorable enrichment areas of oil and gas. This paper also presents nine development trends of MPOG.

Economic development requires exploration and exploitation of mineral resources. It is difficult to find surface outcrop deposits, which will cause soil pollution by heavy metals that is a severe hazard to the environment and human health. Microorganisms in nature interact with heavy metals in air. Microorganisms with this specificity can be applied to metal prospect exploration and environmental bioremediation of heavy metal pollution. Interaction mechanisms between specific microorganisms and heavy metals and its application to exploration and environmental bioremediation of heavy metal pollution have been reviewed. The focus of this paper is on the adsorption, accumulation and transformation process between specific microorganisms and heavy metal ions, as well as the mechanism of microbial organisms changing heavy metal distribution, occurrence and toxicity. The interaction mechanism between Bacillus cereus and gold and its application potential to find concealed gold deposits were reviewed. Removal of heavy metals in the soil by the specific microorganism through the adsorption of metabolites and assisting plants to repair heavy metal pollution were introduced and elaborated upon.

Economic development requires exploration and exploitation of mineral resources. It is difficult to find surface outcrop deposits，which will cause soil pollution by heavy metals that is a severe hazard to the environment and human health. Microorganisms in nature interact with heavy metals in air. Microorganisms with this specificity can be applied to metal prospect exploration and environmental bioremediation of heavy metal pollution and its application to exploration and environmental bioremediation of heavy metal pollution have been reviewed. The focus of this paper is on the adsorption， accumulation and transformation process between specific microorganisms and heavy metal ions， as well as the of microbial organisms changing heavy metal distribution， occurrence and toxicity. The interaction mechanism between Bacillus cereus and gold and its application potential to find concealed gold deposits were reviewed. Removal of heavy metals in the soil by the specific microorganism through the adsorption of metabolites and assisting plants to repair heavy metal pollution were introduced and elaborated upon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial prospecting of hydrocarbons is based on the detection of anomalous population of hydrocarbon oxidizing bacteria in the surface soils, indicates the presence of subsurface oil and gas accumulation. The technique is based on the seepage of light hydrocarbon gases such as C-C from the oil and gas pools to the shallow surface that provide the suitable conditions for the development of highly specialized bacterial population. These bacteria utilize hydrocarbon gases as their only food source and are found enriched in the near surface soils above the hydrocarbon bearing structures. The methodology involves the collection of soil samples from the survey area, packing, preservation and storage of samples in pre-sterilized sample bags under aseptic and cold conditions till analysis and isolation and enumeration of hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria such as methane, ethane, propane, and butane oxidizers. The contour maps for the population density of hydrocarbon oxidizing bacteria are drawn and the data can be integrated with geological, geochemical, geophysical methods to evaluate the hydrocarbon prospect of an area and to prioritize the drilling locations thereby reducing the drilling risks and achieve higher success in petroleum exploration. Microbial Prospecting for Oil and Gas (MPOG) method success rate has been reported to be 90%. The paper presents details of microbial prospecting for oil and gas studies, excellent methodology, future development trends, scope, results of study area, case studies and advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess whether the anomalies of methanotrophic pmoA and propanotrophic prmA genes as target genes can reflect the existence of underlying oil and gas reservoirs, natural abundance and distribution of target genes were investigated in soil above known gas fields, oil fields and non-oil and gas fields, China. A total of 45 soil samples were collected from different depths of 2.5-m soil profiles in Xiaoquan gas field, Xiliu oil field and Beiguan non-oil and gas field and from 50 cm depth of the old oil area, the new developed area, the oil producing area and the undeveloped area of Xiliu oil field, respectively for analysis of target genes by SRBR Green-based fluorescent quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. Distributions of target gene contents in 2.5-m soil profiles of the three fields show that 50 cm was considered to be optimal sampling depth for microbial prospecting of oil and gas reservoirs. At 50 cm depth of 2.5-m soil profiles, the gas field had very high contents of methanotrophic pmoA gene (3.8 x 105 copies/g dw) and propanotrophic prmA gene (5.92 x 105 copies/g dw), the oil field had medium contents of methanotrophic pmoA gene (2.8 x 104 copies/g dw) and propanotrophic prmA gene (4.1 x 104 copies/g dw), and the non-oil and gas field had low contents of propanotrophic prmA gene (below detection limit) and relatively high contents of methanotrophic pmoA gene (1.26 x 105 copies/g dw) due to the influence of biogenic methane. The anomalies of methanotrophic pmoA gene and propanotrophic prmA gene can reflect the existence of underlying gas deposits. Different areas of the oil field had different target gene contents in the new developed area ((1.7-2.3) x 106 copies/g dw for the prmA gene, 1.0 x 10³-1.2 x 104 copies/g dw for the pmoA gene), the old oil area (below detection limit -2.0 x 106 copies/g dw for the prmA gene, below detection limit -7.1 x 104 copies/g dw for the pmoA gene), the undeveloped area (1.8 x 105-1.5 x 106 copies/g dw for the prmA gene, 5.3 x 104-3.3 x 105 copies/g dw for the pmoA gene) and the oil producing area (below detection limit -1.0 x 106 copies/g dw for the prmA gene, 1.4 x 105-4.8 x 105 copies/g dw for the pmoA gene). Comparisons of target gene contents in different areas of Xiliu oil field indicate that oil productive activities had a large impact on contents of target genes in soil above the oil field. The anomalies of propanotrophic prmA gene with low contents of methanotrophic pmoA gene can reflect the existence of underlying oil reservoirs. Analysis of the relationships between contents of target genes may be used for identification of gas fields, oil fields and the influence of biogenic methane. Our results suggest that quantitative RT-PCR assay-based methanotrophic pmoA gene and propanotrophic prmA gene anomalies can reflect the existence of underlying oil and gas reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geomicrobial prospecting for hydrocarbons is an exploration method based on the seepage of lighter hydrocarbons from oil/gas reservoirs to the surface and their utilization by hydrocarbon oxidizing bacteria. These bacteria utilize the hydrocarbons as their sole source of food and are found to be enriched in the near surface soils/sediments above the oil and gas reservoirs. The detection of anomalous populations of hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria in the surface soils can help to evaluate the prospects for hydrocarbon exploration. Geomicrobial prospecting studies have been carried out to test the efficacy of surface geochemical methods as regional evaluation tools in the petroliferous region of Mehsana Block, North Cambay Basin, Gujarat and to investigate whether the geomicrobial anomalies can establish an upward migration of hydrocarbons from the deep subsurface. In the present study, bacterial counts for n-pentane utilizing bacteria range between 1.0×10 and 9.80×10 cfu/g and and n-hexane utilizing bacteria range between 1.0×10 and 9.20×10 cfu/g. The bacterial concentration distribution maps show four distinct anomalies in the study area. The possibility of discovering oil or gas reservoirs using the microbiological method is emphasized by the fact that the hydrocarbon oxidizing bacteria range between 10 and 10 cfu/g in soil/sediment receiving hydrocarbon microseepages. In the present study area of the Mehsana Block of Cambay Basin, n-pentane and n-hexane utilizing bacteria show 10 cfu/g of soil sample, which is significant and thereby substantiates the seepage of lighter hydrocarbons from oil and gas reservoirs. Geomicrobial prospecting method has shown good correlation with existing oil/ gas fields of Mehsana, Gujarat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesozoic sediments are source rocks for nearly half the world's hydrocarbon reserves. Hence, there is great interest in the oil industry to know the trap and sub-trappean sediment thickness and their extent in the trap covered regions of Jamnagar study area. The microbial prospecting method is applied in the Jamnagar sub-basin, Gujarat for evaluating the prospects for hydrocarbon exploration by investigating the anomalous abundance of n-pentane- and n-hexane-oxidizing bacteria of this area. A total of 150 near-surface soil samples were collected in Jamnagar sub-basin, Gujarat for the evaluation of hydrocarbon resource potential of the basin. In this study, bacterial counts for n-pentane-utilizing bacteria range between 1.09 × 10 and 9.89 × 10 cfu/g and n-hexane-utilizing bacteria range between 1.09 × 10 and 9.29 × 10 cfu/g. The adsorbed hydrocarbon gases consisting of ethane plus hydrocarbons (ΣC) of 1-977 ppb and n-pentane ( nC) of 1-23 ppb. The integrated geomicrobial and adsorbed soil gas studies showed the anomalous hydrocarbon zones nearby Khandera, Haripur, and Laloi areas which could probably aid to assess the true potential of the basin. Integrated geophysical studies have shown that Jamnagar sub-basin of Saurashtra has significant sediment thickness below the Deccan Traps and can be considered for future hydrocarbon exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface adsorbed gas surveys and geo-microbiological surveys are known techniques of petroleum exploration and aim towards risk reduction in exploration by way of identifying the areas warm with hydrocarbons and to establish intense exploration priorities amongst the identified warm areas. The present investigation aims to explore correlation between the adsorbed gas distribution pattern with the distribution of the counts of methane, ethane, propane and butane microbial oxidizers in the sub soil samples to establish the role of the latter in identifying the upward migration of hydrocarbons especially in the known petroliferous Krishna-Godavari Basin, India. A total of 135 soil samples were collected near oil and gas fields of Tatipaka, Pasarlapudi areas of Krishna Godavari Basin, Andhra Pradesh. The soil samples were collected from a depth of 2-2.5 m. The samples collected, were analyzed for indicator hydrocarbon oxidizing bacteria, adsorbed light gaseous hydrocarbons and carbon isotopes (δC). The microbial prospecting studies showed the presence of high bacterial population for methane (3.94 × 10 cfu/gm), ethane (3.85 × 10 cfu/gm), propane (4.85 × 10 cfu/gm) and butane oxidizing bacteria (3.63 × 10 cfu/gm) in soil samples indicating microseepage of hydrocarbons. The light gaseous hydrocarbon analysis showed 83 ppb, 92 ppb, 134 ppb, 187 ppb and 316 ppb of C, C, C, nC and nC, respectively, and the carbon isotopic composition of δC of the samples ranged between − 36.6 ‰ to −22.7‰ (Pee Dee Belemnite) values, which presents convincing evidence that the adsorbed soil gases collected from these sediments are of thermogenic origin. Geo-microbial prospecting method and adsorbed soil gas and carbon isotope studies have shown good correlation with existing oil/ gas fields of K.G basin. Microbial surveys indicating microseepage of hydrocarbons can, therefore, independently precede other geochemical and geophysical surveys to delineate areas warm with hydrocarbons and mapped microbiological anomalies may provide focus for locales of hydrocarbon accumulation in the K.G basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]