Influence of biofertilizer on heavy metal bioremediation and enzyme activities in the soil to revealing the potential for sustainable soil restoration.

Overuse of chemical fertilizer and pesticides in agricultural activity is frequently damaging to soil health and can accumulate heavy metals in the soil environment, causing harm to plants, humans, and the ecosystem. This study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of biofertilizers in reducing heavy metal levels in contaminated soil and enhancing the activity of soil enzymes that are crucial to plant growth and development. Two bacteria strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. and Bacillus firmus, were chosen to develop biofertilizers based on molasses. The pot experiment was setup using a completely randomized design with four treatments and five levels; Bacillus firmus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used separately, and they were combined for the biofertilizer dose (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 mL). Utilizing contaminated soils taken from a greenhouse farm the effect of biofertilizer on heavy metal bioremediation and soil enzyme activity was examined. Methods of soil agrochemical analysis were used to determine the soil physiochemical properties and the concentrations of heavy metals Cu, Fe, Zn, Cd, Mo, Mn, were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry ICP-MS, following DTPA extraction methods. In results, soil pH decreased from 8.28 to 7.39, Ec increased from 0.91 to 1.12, organic matter increased from 18.88 to 20.63 g/kg, N increased gradually from 16.7 to 24.4 mg/kg, and K increased from 145.25 to 201.4 mg/kg. The effect of biofertilizer treatment on soil physiochemical characteristics was significantly positive. Application of biofertilizer significantly increased the heavy metal bioavailability and the activities of soil enzymes. Soil pH were positively correlated with soil Zn (0.99819*), APK (0.95869*) activity and negatively correlated with Fe (0.96759*) also statistically significant at (p < 0.05). The soil Cu positively correlated with Fe (0.99645*), Cd (0.97866*), ß.D.GLU (0.99769*) and negatively correlated with PAK (- 0.9624*). Soil ARY had positive correlation with soil Mn (0.99683*), Cd (0.95695*), and negative correlation with PAK (- 0.99424*) at (p < 0.05). Soil enzyme activities were negatively correlated to heavy metals at a significant level. Collectively, the study highlights the potential of biofertilizers as a sustainable and effective approach to enhance soil health and remediate heavy metal-contaminated soils in greenhouses.

Standardization of Particle Size for Floating Particle Wettability Measurement for Carbonate Rocks.

Misrepresentation of the wettability of a reservoir can lead to potentially low ultimate hydrocarbon recovery resulting in substantial economic losses. At the same time, it is impossible to determine the wettability of a reservoir across its length and breadth on a continuous basis using standard procedures. This work presents the development and standardization of a quick, easy, and low-cost wettability measurement method using the adherence tendency of rock particles in the oil or aqueous phase. The most important aspect of this study was establishing the optimum particle size for sustained floatation and balancing the buoyancy and gravity effect. The results show that the particles sink with a larger than optimum particle size because of the gravity effect. Similarly, the particles would float if they are smaller than optimum due to buoyancy and viscosity advantages. A new scale is designed, and the midpoint analysis shows that a 63-90 µm particle size is the ideal size range for the carbonate reservoir's wettability measurements, as the midpoint of the size distribution coincides with the standard Amott-Harvey (A-H) index. However, this size range is found to be wider for oil-wet particles. The floating particle method has several advantages over the established methods once standardized against a reliable process. Not only is the process fast but it can be performed with basic laboratory tools and does not require a high skill set. Most importantly, reliable wettability information can be obtained from drill cuttings and core fragments, enabling the determination of reservoir wettability on a continuum basis and not as a point basis, thus providing a more reliable average value, particularly for heterogeneous and unconsolidated reservoirs.

A new One Health Framework in Qatar for future emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases preparedness and response.

One Health is increasingly recognized as an optimal approach to address the global risk of health threats originating at the human, animal, and ecosystem interface, and their impact. Qatar has successfully practiced One Health approach for investigation and surveillance of zoonotic diseases such as MERS-CoV, and other health threats. However, the current gaps at institution and policy level hinder the sustainment of One Health. In this paper, we have assessed the potential for implementation of One Health Framework to reinforce and sustain One Health capacities in Qatar for 2022-2027. To implement One Health Framework in the country, Qatar Joint External Evaluation (JEE) report, lessons learnt during One Health experiences on zoonotic, vector-borne, and food borne diseases were used to present an outline for multisectoral coordination. In addition, technical capacities of One Health and factors that are required to operationalize it in the country were also assessed in series of meetings and workshops held at Ministry of Public Health on March 2022. Present health care infrastructure and resources were found to be conducive for effective management and response to shared health threats as evident during MERS-CoV, despite being more event based. Regardless, the need for more sustainable capacity development was unanimously emphasized. The consensus between all relevant stakeholders and partners was that there is a need for better communication channels, policies and protocols for data sharing, and the need to invest more resources for better sustainability. The proposed framework is expected to strengthen and facilitate multilateral coordination, enhanced laboratory capacity and network, improve active surveillance and response, risk communication, community engagement, maximize applied research, and build One Health technical work force. This would enable advancement and sustainment of One Health activities to prevent and control health threats shared between humans-animals-ecosystem interface.

Adhesion and Cohesion of Silica Surfaces with Quartz Cement: A Molecular Simulations Study.

This study focuses on developing an adhesive and cohesive molecular modeling approach to study the properties of silica surfaces and quartz cement interfaces. Atomic models were created based on reported silica surface configurations and quartz cement. For the first time, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted to investigate the cohesion and adhesion properties by predicting the interaction energy and the adhesion pressure at the cement and silica surface interface. Results show that the adhesion pressure depends on the area density (per nm2) and degree of ionization, and van der Waals forces are the major contributor to the interactions between the cement and silica surfaces. Moreover, it is shown that adhesion pressure could be the actual rock failure mechanism in contrast to the reported literature which considers cohesion as the failure mechanism. The bonding energy factors for both "dry" and "wet" conditions were used to predict the water effect on the adhesion pressure at the cement-surface interface, revealing that H2O can cause a significant reduction in adhesion pressure. In addition, relating the adhesion pressure to the dimensionless area ratio of the cement to silica surfaces resulted in a good correlation that could be used to distribute the adhesion pressure in a rock system based on the area of interactions between the cement and the surface. This study shows that MD simulations can be used to understand the chemomechanics relationship fundamental of cement-surfaces of a reservoir rock at a molecular/atomic level and to predict the rock mechanical failure for sandstones, limestones, and shales.

Perspective Review of Polymers as Additives in Water-Based Fracturing Fluids.

After successful implementation for more than 6 decades by the oil and gas industry, hydraulic fracturing remains the pioneer well stimulation method to date. Polymers are one of the additives in fracturing fluids that play a significant role. Polymers are used as friction reducers and viscosifiers to provide a transport medium for proppants in fracturing fluids. There are many polymer-based fracturing fluid systems, but choosing the most appropriate type and system depends on the type of application and a wide range of parameters. Currently, there is no complete review study that gives a reference and hence a perspective for researchers on the use of polymers in hydraulic fracturing. This paper summarizes the published literature on polymers used in fracturing fluids and discusses the current research issues, efforts, and trends in the field, aiming to provide an overview of the polymer applications in slick-water and cross-linked gel systems. The mechanism and limitation of polymer use such as polymer degradation, fracture conductivity reduction, and polymer adsorption are also reviewed in this paper. The reviewed literature suggested that polymers are important additives in fracturing fluids not only to provide adequate transportation of proppants but also to determine the width of the fracture whereby higher viscosities yield wider fractures. The development of synthetic polymers and associative polymers in fracturing fluids showed a remarkable potential to improve the stability of fracturing fluids in unconventional reservoirs under reservoir conditions, which makes it an interesting topic for future studies.

Effect of Silica Nanoparticles on Polymer Adsorption Reduction on Marcellus Shale.

Polymers play a major role in developing rheology of fracturing fluids for multistage hydraulic fracturing horizontal wells in unconventional reservoirs. Reducing the amount of polymer adsorbed in the shale formation is essential to maintain the polymer efficiency. In this study, the ability of silica nanoparticles to minimize polymer adsorption in Marcellus shale formation at reservoir temperature was investigated. Partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide polymers of varying molecular weights (1-12 MD), salinities (2500-50,000 ppm), polymer concentrations (100-2000 ppm), and silica nanoparticle concentrations (0.01-0.1 w/w) were used in the static adsorption experiments. Adsorption of the polymer in the Marcellus shale samples was contrasted with and without the silica nanoparticles at a Marcellus formation reservoir temperature of 65 °C, showing a significant polymer adsorption reduction of up to 50%. The adsorption and adsorption reduction were more sensitive to the variation of the polymer concentration than to the variation of the salinity within the tested conditions. The highest adsorptions were reported at the higher molecular weight of 10-12 MD. In addition, silica nanoparticles significantly improved polymer rheology at elevated temperatures. The results indicate that nanoparticles can play a significant role in reducing polymer adsorption in the fracturing fluid and improve its rheological properties and its efficiency, which will reduce the number of issues caused by the polymers in the fracturing fluid and making it more cost effective.

Hydraulic Fracturing Design Considerations and Optimal Usage of Water Resources for Middle Eastern Tight Gas Reservoirs.

Over the past few decades, hydraulic fracturing, a well-stimulation technique commonly used for extracting hydrocarbons within unconventional reservoirs, has played a significant role in transforming the energy industry. Multiple studies and field trials have proven that an effective, efficient, and economical approach is critical for such operations. However, even after numerous fracturing jobs conducted across the globe, they are still related with high risk. Moreover, the exploitation of such reservoirs is water- and resource-intensive as compared to conventional reservoirs. This is crucial, especially in offshore operations and arid regions. A comprehensive investigation through a traditional fracture design process was conducted for a candidate Middle Eastern reservoir. Through the construction of strategically constrained cases in the presence of complex natural fracture sets, this novel investigation allowed the model to successfully isolate and characterize the key fracture design parameters that influenced fracture geometry for the candidate field and in turn the requirements with respect to water usage and resource consumption. The results indicate that for the given field conditions, fluid and proppant optimization is critical to achieving maximum recovery. The influence of natural fracture is highly critical and greatly influences the overall productivity. Simulations further indicate water requirements for the candidate field ranging from 3.5 to 5.8 million gallons of water per operation, which is significant in water-scarce regions. The findings of this study and the proposed workflow can assist to better understand the distinct contributions of key fracture design and operational parameters that are critical under the current volatile market conditions.

Hydraulic Fracture Propagation and Analysis in Heterogeneous Middle Eastern Tight Gas Reservoirs: Influence of Natural Fractures and Well Placement.

Hydraulic fracturing is a stimulation process, most frequently used in tight and unconventional reservoirs for successful and economical hydrocarbon production. This study deals with the propagation behavior of induced hydraulic fractures (HFs) in naturally fractured formations within heterogeneous Middle Eastern tight gas reservoirs. Local sensitivity analysis was conducted for a Middle East candidate reservoir by varying fracture design parameters to investigate the fracture propagation behavior. After a comprehensive evaluation, a discrete fracture network-based simulator was used to introduce multiple sets of natural fractures (NFs) into the model to further analyze their interactions. Furthermore, simplistic wellbore placement analysis was also conducted. It is observed that production in tight reservoirs is governed by the presence of NFs and their distribution. This investigation analyzes HF propagation behavior and its correlated effects in the presence of NFs. Further assessment in terms of varying fracture geometry, NF sets, wellbore placement, and their effects on the conductivity are also presented. The introduced NF sets further illustrate the significance of the NF properties in this assessment. Additionally, variations in well placement demonstrate how effective the treatment can be in the presence of complex NF sets when properly located. The study is unique as it is one of its kind based on field data within the Middle East region and offers an insight into the potential concerns that may assist future fracturing operations within the region. The outcomes from this research validate the significance of NF orientation and its subsequent effects on the final HF geometry and network. Additionally, it further highlights the criticality of well placement and design strategies during hydraulic fracturing treatment design. Results describe how a minor modification with respect to the well placement can significantly affect hydraulic fracturing operations and subsequently the productivity and feasibility.