Some of the research performed during the final leap of the MIND project has not yet been presented on a major conference, hence this opportunity to present the results from the project.
Theme 08 – “Energy and Resources in Service of Society”
Session 08f “Microbes in the Engineered Subsurface – Applications for Energy Systems, from Oil & Gas, CO2 to Nuclear Systems”:
The subsurface environment is receiving increased attention, motivated largely by subsurface engineering projects. In the United States, hydraulic fracturing of hydrocarbon-bearing shale formations has led to a boom in oil and gas production. In Canada, the majority of the country’s energy demands are met by the large-scale exploitation of oil sand reservoirs. These and other subsurface engineering projects including the sequestration of carbon dioxide and the burial of radioactive waste are subject to dynamic geochemical changes mediated by microbial life. Indigenous and artificially introduced microbes can prove beneficial or problematic for the engineered subsurface projects. In this session, we are calling for contributions related to microbial investigations but not restricted to: microbial influences on hydraulic fracturing fluid, conventional and unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, underground gas storage systems, including carbon dioxide capture and storage, geothermal energy projects, mining projects and radioactive waste repositories. Special emphasis is put on the role of microbes in technologies and how an understanding of the subsurface life is beneficial for serving the needs of our society.