Nutrient availability contributes to structural and functional diversity of microbiome in Xinjiang oilfield

Indigenous microbial enhanced oil recovery (IMEOR) is a promising alternative way to promote oil recovery. It activates oil recovery microorganisms in the reservoir by adding nutrients to the injected water, utilizing microbial growth and metabolism to enhance recovery. However, few studies have focused on the impact of injected nutrients on reservoir microbial community composition and potential functions. This limits the further strategic development of IMEOR. In this study, we investigated the effects of nutrition on the composition of the reservoir bacterial community and functions in the Qizhong block of Xinjiang Oilfield, China, by constructing a long core microbial flooding simulation device. The results showed that the microbial community structure of the reservoir changed from aerobic state to anaerobic state after nutrient injection. Reducing the nutrient concentration increased the diversity and network stability of the reservoir bacterial community. At the same time, the nitrogen metabolism function also showed the same change response. Overall, these results indicated that nutrition significantly affected the community structure and function of reservoir microorganisms. Injecting low concentrations of nutrients may be more beneficial to improve oil recovery. This study is of great significance for guiding IMEOR technology and saving costs at the field site.