There are vast global reserves of traditional subsurface hydrocarbons (oil and gas) and unconventional hydrocarbons (shale and oil sands). SGI is developing microbial enhanced hydrocarbon recovery and conversion solutions for the production of fuels and chemicals from these vast reserves.

Microbial-Enhanced Hydrocarbon Recovery – Collaboration with BP

SGI and BP have established a multi-year, research and development collaboration and commercialization joint venture focused on microbial-enhanced solutions to increase hydrocarbon recovery. The first area of focus is coal bed methane (CBM).

CBM is a compelling alternative source of natural gas for the world. Global and US CBM reserves are vast and remain relatively unexploited. The gas present in coal beds is generated either through a biogenic process, resulting from microbial action in organic matter, or from a thermogenic process, resulting from increasing heat at greater coal depths.

SGI is applying the latest genomic tools to understand microbial life in the subsurface and to develop commercial solutions that improve the recovery rates of natural gas from the coal seams.