ABSTRACT
Biogenic hydrogen sulfide production in oil reservoirs (biosouring) is of major concern for industrial sustainability, safety, and the prevention of ecological disasters. Nitrate addition, a common treatment strategy, is unpredictable and unreliable. Recent studies identified perchlorate, a potent and specific inhibitor, as a more effective and reliable replacement. Perchlorate acts through both direct and indirect inhibition (biocompetitive exclusion) of sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRM). All dissimilatory perchlorate-reducing bacteria (DPRB) also innately oxidize and preferentially use sulfide, thus removing sulfide that is already present from the system. Multiple column studies have confirmed the efficacy of perchlorate as an inhibitor and computer models created from the column data allow for the prediction of perchlorate modes of action at different concentrations. Collectively, this research demonstrates that perchlorate is a specific, predictable, versatile, and effective inhibitor of sulfidogenesis.
