Enzymatic degradation of carboxymethyl cellulose – A biotechnological approach for hydraulic fracturing operations
| dc.contributor.advisor | Gieg, Lisa Marie | |
| dc.contributor.author | Scheffer, Gabrielle | |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Ng, Kenneth Kai Sing | |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Sen, Arindom | |
| dc.date | 2019-06 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-12-20T22:27:43Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-12-20T22:27:43Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2019-12-19 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a polymer used in different industrial sectors. In the oil and gas industry, CMC is often used during hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations as a thickening agent helping for proppant delivery. Accumulations of CMC at fracture faces (filter cakes) can impede oil and gas recovery. Although chemical oxidizers are added to disrupt these accumulations, there is industrial interest in developing alternative, enzyme-based treatments. Little is known about whether CMC can be biodegraded under fracking conditions. Here, we enriched a methanogenic CMC-degrading culture, and demonstrated its ability to express extracellular enzymes able to utilize CMC under various conditions that typify oil fields. Finally, isolation and purification of the enzymes allowed for complete degradation of the polymer within 3 h, and allowed for the identification of putative purified cellulases. This study demonstrates that enzyme technology holds great promise as a viable approach to treating CMC filter cakes under field conditions. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.citation | Scheffer, G. (2019). Enzymatic degradation of carboxymethyl cellulose – A biotechnological approach for hydraulic fracturing operations (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/37361 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1880/111369 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | en_US |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Science | en_US |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Calgary | en |
| dc.rights | University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Hydraulic fracturing | en_US |
| dc.subject | Biodegradation | en_US |
| dc.subject | Filter cake | en_US |
| dc.subject | Carboxymethyl cellulose | en_US |
| dc.subject | Thermophilic enzymes | en_US |
| dc.subject | Cellulases | en_US |
| dc.subject.classification | Microbiology | en_US |
| dc.title | Enzymatic degradation of carboxymethyl cellulose – A biotechnological approach for hydraulic fracturing operations | en_US |
| dc.type | master thesis | en_US |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Biological Sciences | en_US |
| thesis.degree.grantor | University of Calgary | en_US |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Science (MSc) | en_US |
| ucalgary.item.requestcopy | true | en_US |