Biotechnology-driven applications for advancing sustainability in petroleum industry

Abstract The petroleum industry faces increasing pressure to enhance sustainability while addressing environmental challenges. This review explores the transformative potential of biological innovations, highlighting microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) as a cost-effective, eco-friendly alternative to conventional methods, with operational cost reductions of up to 83% and oil recovery enhancements exceeding 44%. MEOR mechanisms, including biosurfactant production and oil viscosity reduction, show promise even under extreme reservoir conditions. This review summarizes the significant investments that aim to integrate cost-effective, less energy-intensive, ecofriendly bioprocesses that transform heavy crude oils (HCO) into lighter forms (LCO) via biodearomatization (BDA), alongside methods like biodepolymerization of asphaltenes (BDPA), biodemetallization (BDM), biodesulfurization (BDS), and biodenitrogenation (BDN). These biological approaches optimize oil recovery and upgrade petroleum, achieving up to 96% sulfur and nitrogen removal, while mitigating petroleum hydrocarbon pollution and reducing the carbon footprint of the industry. Bioremediation strategies, including bioaugmentation and biostimulation, effectively mitigate pollution, with cost reductions of up to 85% compared to traditional methods. Nanobiotechnology is also signified to enhance bioprocess efficiency, improving biocatalyst stability, activity, and scalability. The role of petroleum-, environmental-, and nano-biotechnology in developing innovative solutions that utilize agro-industrial wastes in the petroleum industry is also discussed to align with the principles of the circular economy by enhancing resource efficiency and reducing waste. Future efforts should prioritize integrating biotechnological solutions, advancing genetic engineering, and scaling pilot studies to commercial applications, underscoring biological innovations' potential to reshape the petroleum industry toward a more sustainable and environmentally responsible future. Graphical Abstract