Characterization of the biofilm structure and microbial diversity of sulfate-reducing bacteria from petroleum produced water supplemented by different carbon sources

Abstract

Colonization by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in environments associated with oil is mainly dependent on the availability of sulfate and carbon sources. The formation of biofilms by SRB increases the corrosion of pipelines and oil storage tanks, representing great occupational and operational risks and respective economic losses for the oil industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the addition of acetate, butyrate, lactate, propionate and oil on the structure of biofilm formed in carbon steel coupons, as well as on the diversity of total bacteria and SRB in the planktonic and sessile communities from petroleum produced water. The biofilm morphology, chemical composition, average roughness and the microbial diversity was analyzed. In all carbon sources, formation of dense biofilm without morphological and/or microbial density differences was detected, with the most of cells observed in the form of individual rods. The diversity and richness indices of bacterial species in the planktonic community was greater than in the biofilm. Geotoga was the most abundant genus, and more than 85% of SRB species were common to all treatments. The functional predicted profile shown that the observed genres in planktonic communities were related to the reduction of sulfate, sulfite, elementary sulfur and other sulfur compounds, but the abundance varied between treatments. For the biofilm, the functions predicted profile for the oil treatment was the one that most varied in relation to the control, while for the planktonic community, the addition of all carbon sources interfered in the predicted functional profile. Thus, although it does not cause changes in the structure and morphology biofilm, the supplementation of produced water with different carbon sources is associated with changes in the SRB taxonomic composition and functional profiles of the biofilm and the planktonic bacterial communities.

Keywords: 16S rRNA gene; Electron microscopy; Energy dispersion spectroscopy; Functional prediction; Steel coupon.