Wang, GL; Wang, TG ;Simoneit, BRT ; Zhang, LY.ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY, 2013, 55: 72-84
发布时间:2013-09-27
Investigation of hydrocarbon biodegradation from a downhole profile in Bohai Bay Basin: Implications for the origin of 25-norhopanes
Wang, GL*; Wang, TG ;Simoneit, BRT ; Zhang, LY
Abstract
A suite of reservoir cores (oil sands) from a single well in Bohai Bay Basin, East China, displayed a progressive increase in petroleum biodegradation extent on the basis of bulk composition and 25-norhopane content. This fits with the proposal that subsurface petroleum biodegradation is dominantly an anaerobic process and usually occurs at the oil-water contact. It is likely that sequential microbial degradation of hydrocarbons under anoxic conditions does not occur in a true stepwise fashion, but is controlled by various factors such as concentration and solubility of hydrocarbons and their diffusion rate to the oil/water contact. In fact, 25-norhopanes were formed prior to the complete elimination of the acyclic, and mono- and bicyclic alkanes. An inverse response of the 22S/(22S + 22R) ratio between each extended 17 alpha(H)-hopane and its corresponding 25-norhopane was observed as severe biodegradation occurred, supporting the proposal that the 25-norhopanes originate from demethylation of hopanes. Field observation revealed that biomarkers without extended alkyl side chains, such as oleanane, gammacerane and beta-carotane, have significant resistance to biodegradation and can be used as naturally occurring "internal standards'' to evaluate variations in other biomarkers. The results suggest that the quantity of 25-norhopanes showed a minor increase as the hopanes decreased significantly, i.e. only partial hopane conversion to the corresponding 25-norhopanes. Alternative degradation pathways for hopanes might occur in reservoirs, in addition to C-25 demethylation.