Bacteria seal up methane leaks in old oil wells

Biomineralisation stops leaks that traditional methods cannot seal

Spotted: Large methane leaks from oil and gas wells are estimated to cause $9.3 billion worth of climate damage each year. But now, one startup, BioSqueeze, has developed an innovative solution to stop these damaging leaks.

The company’s technology involves biomineralisation. This process combines safe, naturally occurring soil bacteria and widely available chemicals to create a fluid with a similar viscosity to water. This gets around problems with traditional remediation technologies, which use cement and resins that cannot bond to casing and cement and are often too viscous to eliminate pressure build-up in the outer layers of a well.

The fluid is pumped into the leakage pathways of a well. Once in place, the fluid transforms into crystalline calcium carbonate. This is a limestone-like material that binds to rock, cement, and steel, creating an impermeable and permanent seal. It can seal leaks as small as one micron wide and forms a caprock barrier stronger than cement.

BioSqueeze’s technology was developed in conjunction with the US Department of Energy over a 10-year period. The company claims it has a 90 per cent success rate in sealing leaks, with more than 100 wells sealed since 2019. Last year, BioSqueeze raised $7.4 million in a series A funding round and the funds are being used to accelerate company growth.

Written By: Lisa Magloff