Crude oil gasification bacteria, including fermenting bacteria, hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria, reducing bacteria, and methanogenic bacteria, participate in multi-step reactions involving initial activation, intermediate metabolism, and the methanogenesis of crude oil hydrocarbons. These bacteria degrade crude oil into smaller molecules such as hydrogen, carbon dioxide, acetic acid, and formic acid. Ultimately, they convert it into methane, which can be utilized or stored as a strategic resource. However, the current challenges in crude oil gasification include long production cycles and low efficiency. This paper provides a summary of the microbial flora involved in crude oil gasification, the gasification metabolism pathways within reservoirs, and other relevant information. It specifically focuses on analyzing the factors that affect the efficiency of crude oil gasification metabolism and proposes suggestions for improving this efficiency. These studies deepen our understanding of the potential of reservoir ecosystems and provide valuable insights for future reservoir development and management.
Keywords: crude oil gasification pathway; factors affecting methanogenic efficiency; microbial communities involved in crude oil gasification.