The U.S. Now Has Three Offshore Wind Projects in Production: Dominion’s Coastal Virginia, Orsted’s Revolution Wind, and Vineyard Wind: House GOP Members Propose Extending Wind Tax Credits Expected to Expire in July 2026

       In March, Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind began generating electricity for the grid just days after Orsted’s Revolution Wind entered into service off the coast of Rhode Island. Days ago, it was announced that the Vineyard Wind project offshore Maine is fully up and running. Vineyard had already been producing electricity and played a key role in assuring winter reliability during the 2026 cold spell. As explained below by Heatmap AM’s by Alexander Kaufman, the stage is now set for Vineyard to produce power at affordable prices for power consumers:

“On Monday, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced that Vineyard Wind had activated its electricity contracts with utilities, setting fixed prices for the 800-megawatt project 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket over the next 20 years. In a press release, Healey said the power purchase agreements will save Massachusetts ratepayers roughly $1.4 billion in electricity costs throughout these next two decades. “Throughout one of the coldest winters in recent history, Vineyard Wind turbines powered our homes and businesses at a low price and now that price goes even lower with the activation of these contracts,” Healey said in a statement. “Especially as President Trump is taking energy sources off the table and increasing prices with his war in Iran, we should be leaning into more American-made wind power.” Vineyard Wind first began selling power to the market in 2024, but at what The New Bedford Light called “fluctuating and at times higher prices.” As of this week and for the next year, the price will be set at $69.50 per megawatt-hour.

     While the biggest recent wind story seems to be the Trump DOI buying out offshore wind leases if the companies agree to invest in oil & gas projects instead, the U.S. wind industry, both onshore and offshore, continues to grow. The U.S. installed wind capacity is at 159.5 GW, of which 159.3 GW is onshore, with a mere 171 MW of offshore wind capacity online. However, offshore wind capacity is expected to grow to 4.2 GW by the end of the year, which means by the end of the year it will be “on the map” in terms of power generation. Many of us thought that Biden’s push for offshore wind was too ambitious, especially as borrowing costs skyrocketed, affecting project economics and triggering renegotiations of terms. Thus, if the Trump administration’s delays of wind projects and wind lease buyouts don’t expand, they will likely just affect some of the total number of projects. It seems clear that offshore wind may be scaled back, but it won’t be shut down. This is important for the fledgling infrastructure, supply chains, component manufacturing, and equipment buildout of a U.S. offshore wind industry. It needs to be supported, preferably by an unconstrained industry.

     Clean Technica’s Michael Barnard summarizes offshore wind project statuses:

“What the Trump administration tried to freeze through political interference, the courts largely refused to let die. Five of the country’s marquee offshore wind projects, Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, Empire Wind 1, and Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, all won preliminary court relief after the late 2025 federal suspension orders, and all remained in construction or forward motion by April 2026. Revolution Wind had already begun delivering power into New England, Vineyard Wind had entered initial operations, and Sunrise, Empire, and CVOW were all still advancing through construction, commissioning, and related offshore works. The point matters beyond the individual projects. Washington succeeded in injecting delay, cost, and uncertainty, but it did not erase the industrial reality that billions had already been committed, steel was already in the water, and state demand for large-scale offshore electricity had not disappeared because a hostile administration wished it so.”

     In partnership with the North America’s Building Trades Unions, four GOP House members introduced a bill to restore tax credits for wind, solar, hydrogen, and other clean energy technologies that were phased out by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The new bill, the American Energy Dominance Act, would remove the accelerated deadlines. The tax credits are currently set to expire in July 2026. Some have suggested that the bill is unlikely to pass unless or until the Democrats gain more seats in Congress, despite House Republicans sponsoring the bill. In March, Democrats introduced a bill to restore the same tax credits. Since both parties have introduced bills to restore the incentives, I am not sure why analysts are so sure the bills are not likely to succeed without a Democratic controlled Congress, but perhaps that is the case for now. I still think the incentives should be restored, but as a ratepayer, I do not think renewables should be overly supported or accelerated.  

    

 

 

References:

 

Vineyard Wind enters into full service. Heatmap AM. Alexander Kaufman. April 29. 2026.

America’s Wind Market Keeps Building Under Policy Pressure. Michael Barnard. Clean Technica. April 17, 2026. America’s Wind Market Keeps Building Under Policy Pressure - CleanTechnica

House Republicans introduce bill to extend renewables tax credits. Diana DiGangi. Utility Dive. Apri 27, 2026. House Republicans introduce bill to extend renewables tax credits | Utility Dive

The Environmental, Water Quality, Habitat, Flooding, and Climate Impacts of Beaver Dams: New Research Shows They Are a Good Carbon Sink, but What About Methane Emissions?

Some Beaver Facts

     There are two beaver species worldwide, the North American beaver (Caster canadensis) and the Eurasian beaver (Caster fiber). Beavers inhabit all 50 U.S. states but are less common in the Southwest. They also inhabit much of Canada, Northern Mexico, much of Europe, and some of Asia. The North American Beaver is one of North America’s largest rodents. They have specialized teeth, suitable for gnawing down trees with which to build their dams and lodges. They live 5-12 years. They mate for life. Each couple produces a litter of 1-4 kits each year. The young adolescents help with their parents’ following litter, then at two years old, they set out to mate and then build their own family lodge. They are herbivorous. Their flat tails are used as rudders for swimming, to aid them in sitting, and to smack on the water to warn other beavers of potential danger.

     Beavers have been referred to as ecosystem engineers since they literally create wetlands and ponds, which become habitats for other species. Their dams filter water, mitigate drought, and increase the biodiversity of flora and fauna. They use trees, branches, sticks, rocks, vegetation, and mud to build their dams. They also build canals to connect ponds. I am guessing the dam below is from the American West.

     They build two kinds of lodges: bank lodges on stream banks and open-water lodges. An open-water lodge is shown below.

     Beavers are also sometimes considered to be skilled foresters:

“Beavers practice what is known as coppicing, which means cutting away some of the woodier sections of plants to allow for new growth of beaver food.”

“This is something that conservationists currently do to stimulate new diversity in regions with no natural beaver populations and is absolutely necessary for some species to thrive.”

“Robins, blackbirds, chaffinches and tits are examples of coppice species, that thrive in coppiced woodlands.”

     Beavers have been extensively trapped for their pelts, which has led to roughly 10 times fewer of them. However, their numbers are now growing fast. 

Mosquitoes, Flooding, and Loss of Water Downstream: Some Potential Negative Impacts

     One potentially negative impact of beaver dams is that the pooled water can increase the prevalence of mosquitoes. The Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control and Wetlands Management District did a study to determine the impact of beaver dams on mosquito populations and determined that they can increase the prevalence of mosquitoes, especially if the beaver lodges are abandoned. This is concerning since mosquitoes transmit diseases to humans, including West Nile Virus.

“Beaver impacted waterways were evaluated to determine where and when breeding takes place within the system. In addition, overwintering conditions were evaluated to determine the potential for beaver lodges to act as hibernacula for adult mosquitoes. The results suggested that waterways with abandoned beaver lodges had a greater chance of increased mosquito breeding versus waterways with active beaver lodges.”

     Beavers are thought to mitigate flooding in general. However, some people who live very near beaver dams say they can increase flooding locally. I know of one area in Western West Virginia, in the backwaters of the Little Kanawha River, where they seem to keep the water in check. There is no flooding there. There, they seem to have a mechanism to keep the water flowing as well. This is in a shady area. I took the picture below a few years ago. They have since moved their dams around a little bit. This is in a confined area, very close to human dwellings. 

     The other beaver dams I am familiar with are in Southeastern Ohio. This is in a sunny area with several large dams. I have heard that some of the locals have complained about flooding and mosquitoes. It is said that the ponds behind beaver dams can create localized flooding. There are ways to mitigate it, including diverting water or lowering the dams. I took the picture below.

     A 2025 study published in Communications Earth & Environment had researchers from Stanford and the University of Minnesota examine the effects of beaver reintroductions.

“Despite the potential for wetland resilience and restoration, beaver activity can create problems for nearby communities. New dams can temporarily reduce water flows, putting stress on downstream water users already struggling to find sufficient surface water supplies during drought conditions. Unmanaged beaver populations can pose a flooding threat to homes, crops, and infrastructure.”

     The researchers also noted that in places where beavers have become a nuisance by flooding farmers' fields or even roads, they can be moved to other areas where they will not have those negative effects on humans.

“Ultimately, the researchers envision dynamic risk maps that policymakers, watershed managers, and ecologists can use to quantitatively evaluate where, when, and how to bring back beavers.”

 

Mostly Beneficial Water Quality Impacts

      A Microsoft CoPilot Search for Beaver Dam effects on water quality yielded the following:

“Beavers significantly improve water quality by building dams that slow water flow, trap sediments, and create diverse habitats, which collectively enhance freshwater ecosystems.”

     Water with more sediment filtered out is clearer and cleaner. According to the EPA, we still don’t know the full effects of beavers on water quality.

“Because stream ecosystems are complex, it can be difficult to understand how disturbances and changing environmental conditions will impact the ecosystem. Additionally, the impacts of beaver dams may vary widely across biomes because the underlying watershed characteristics are different.”

     Studies have shown that water downstream of beaver dams has less suspended solids and nitrates. However, some pollutants may increase downstream of the dams. The effects on water quality can vary depending on factors like season, temperature, water depth, and water flow rate. Sediments that are trapped and then drop to the bottom may increase pollutants in sediments accumulating at the stream bed bottoms. This can be beneficial for a pollutant like nitrogen since it can buy time for microbes to convert nitrates to nitrogen gas, a process known as denitrification. However, it can also lead to the accumulation of pollutants. Beaver ponds can also help to recharge local groundwater.

     A 2025 study in Communications Earth & Environment assessed the variables that led to the most surface water accumulation due to beaver dams in the Western U.S.  They determined that dam length was the most important variable and that dam length was controlled mostly by hydrologic and geomorphology variables. The paper’s abstract is below.

“…valley geometry alone does not determine dam length, but rather a balance between valley shape, hydrological inputs, and soil conditions.”

 

Beaver Dams Create and Improve Habitats

     The trapped sediment will eventually drop to the bottom and support aquatic plant life, which creates habitat. The dams can also trap some agricultural runoff, which also supports aquatic plants.

     According to the Beaver Trust, beaver dams can significantly increase biodiversity:

“Beavers are defined as a keystone species as they create unique, complex freshwater ecosystems which provide opportunities for many insects, amphibians, birds, fish and mammals. Beaver wetlands have been found to be home to 50% more species than wetlands not created by beavers.”

     As noted above, the beavers practice coppicing, which is known to increase forest biodiversity. Beavers are considered to provide many ecosystem services, and habitat creation is one of the most important.

     A 2025 study in the Journal of Animal Ecology suggests that beaver dams improve bat habitats. The study shows that more bats hunt in beaver territories than outside of them. One reason is thought to be that there are more insects for the bats to feed on in beaver areas. One endangered bat thrives in dead trees, and beavers do create more dead trees both through flooding them and chewing them down.

 

Beaver Dams as Carbon Sinks

     A 2026 study published in Communications Earth & Environment assessed the ability of Eurasian beavers to create net carbon sinks. According to Phys.org:

“The researchers' findings demonstrate that these beaver-engineered wetlands can store carbon at rates up to 10 times higher than similar systems without beaver activity. Over a 13‑year period, the wetland accumulated an estimated 1,194 metric tons of carbon, equivalent to 10.1 metric tons of CO2 per hectare per year.”

     The researchers found that in some seasons, the beaver-dammed regions were a net carbon source, but when averaged throughout the year, they were a significant sink. This study also found that the increase in methane due to expanding wetlands was a negligible effect. I admit I found that to be surprising.  It could mean that these complexes were not resulting in increases in net new inundation. As noted in the section below, this may differ considerably from other environments, such as Arctic tundra, as well as with changes in new inundation. 

“Despite uncertainties, the capacity for sediment burial to offset and exceed gaseous C emissions underscores the role of beavers as natural agents for buffering climate change.”

     The researchers also cautioned that beaver dams are often temporary, which can change carbon sequestration effects. The sequestration effects are also limited to small areas compared to the overall land areas.

“Dr. Joshua Larsen, from the University of Birmingham and lead senior author of the study, said, "Our findings show that beavers don't just change landscapes: they fundamentally shift how CO2 moves through them. By slowing water, trapping sediments, and expanding wetlands, they turn streams into powerful carbon sinks. This first-of-its-kind study represents an important opportunity and breakthrough for future nature‑based climate solutions across Europe."

 

Methane Emissions Increase Significantly from Beaver Ponds on Arctic Tundra

      Wetlands emit significant amounts of methane via anaerobic decomposition of newly submerged organic matter. Beaver dams basically submerge previously unsubmerged land or partially submerged land.

     A 2023 paper published in Environmental Research Letters examined beaver ponds in the Arctic tundra in Alaska, where beavers have been expanding. They found that beaver ponds increase the amount of methane emitted.

“Comparing beaver ponds to all non-beaver waterbodies (including waterbodies >450 m from beaver-affected water), we found significantly greater CH4 hotspot occurrences around beaver ponds, extending to a distance of 60 m. We found a 51% greater CH4 hotspot occurrence ratio around beaver ponds relative to nearby non-beaver waterbodies.”

     This research suggests that while beaver ponds in temperate regions may not affect methane emissions very much, they do increase methane emissions significantly in Arctic tundra regions.

“A study from the boreal forest of Quebec found that beaver ponds were responsible for emitting 18% of the total CH4 flux. The high uncertainty on existing estimates of beaver pond CH4 fluxes is partly due to the difficulty of monitoring CH4 fluxes in-situ or remotely and the challenges of extrapolating spatially and temporally limited samples. Our results indicate that in the Arctic tundra environment, where permafrost predominates, beaver ponds enhance CH4 release.”

 

 

 

References:

 

Beavers can convert stream corridors to persistent carbon sinks. Science X staff. Phys.org. March 18, 2026. Beavers can convert stream corridors to persistent carbon sinks

Beavers can convert stream corridors to persistent carbon sinks. Lukas Hallberg, Annegret Larsen, Natalie Ceperley, Raphael d’Epagnier, Tom F. Brouwers, Bettina Schaefli, Sarah Thurnheer, Josep Barba, Christof Angst, Matthew Dennis & Joshua R. Larsen. Communications Earth & Environment volume 7, Article number: 227 (2026). Beavers can convert stream corridors to persistent carbon sinks | Communications Earth & Environment

North American Beaver. Nevada Department of Wildlife. North American Beaver - Nevada Department of Wildlife

Beaver Factsheet (FAQ). Beaver Trust. December 2020. Fact sheets

Do beaver ponds increase methane emissions along Arctic tundra streams? Jason A Clark, Ken D Tape, Latha Baskaran, Clayton Elder, Charles Miller, Kimberley Miner, Jonathan A O’Donnell, and Benjamin M Jones. Environmental Research Letters. 18 (2023) 075004. July 3, 2023. Do beaver ponds increase methane emissions along Arctic tundra streams?

Factors influencing surface water accumulation in beaver pond complexes across the Western United States. Luwen Wan, Emily Fairfax & Kate Maher. Communications Earth & Environment. volume 6, Article number: 614 (August 11, 2025). Factors influencing surface water accumulation in beaver pond complexes across the Western United States | Communications Earth & Environment

Strategically bringing back beavers could support healthy and climate-resilient watersheds. Madison Pobis. Phys.org. August 11, 2025. Strategically bringing back beavers could support healthy and climate-resilient watersheds

Beaver Facts. Fact Animal. 18 Beautiful Beaver Facts - Fact Animal

Beavers create habitats for bats and support endangered species. Beate Kittl. Phys.org. November 13, 2025. Beavers create habitats for bats and support endangered species

Beaver Impacts on Mosquito Control. Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control and Wetlands Management District. Beaver Impacts on Mosquito Control | Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control and Wetlands Management District

How Do Beaver Dams Affect Water Quality? U.S. EPA. June 11, 2024. How Do Beaver Dams Affect Water Quality? | US EPA

 

 

U.S. Crude Oil and Petroleum Products Exports Skyrocket After Iran War Shock to Markets: LNG Exports Expected to Grow as Well

     AAPG’s Well Read editor Shangyou Nie, recently posted about increasing U.S. exports of crude oil, petroleum products, and LNG in light of the disruptions to Middle East output due to the Iran situation. U.S. exports have increased dramatically. He summarizes the situation below:

“The Energy Information Administration reported that the total U.S. crude and petroleum product exports reached a record 12.9 million barrels per day during the week of 17 April. The United States is already the world’s largest LNG exporter. With the ongoing war in Iran, U.S. oil and gas supply has become more important to Europe and Asia.”

“The average weekly export of U.S. crude and petroleum products jumped from 10.6 million barrels per day during the first week of March to 12.9 million barrels per day by mid-April.”

     That represents an increase of nearly 22%, which is quite a lot in the period of just over a month. U.S. crude oil and petroleum products exports began to increase in 2008 and have steadily increased since then, first reaching 10 million barrels per day in 2022. The latest EIA data has crude exports at 4.8 million barrels per day and petroleum product exports at 8.1 million barrels per day.

     He notes that the increase in U.S. exports has been driven by two factors: 1) an increase in U.S. oil output, and 2) the availability of Venezuelan crude to U.S. refineries since the beginning of the year.

     He also notes that Japan has likely been the most impacted country, with 90% of its crude oil imports coming from the Middle East through the Strait of Hormuz. Japan is already one of the largest buyers of U.S. LNG and desires to buy more. U.S. LNG exports continue to increase and pass new milestones, with more export facilities in the works for the future. U.S. LNG exports are now up to 15 BCF/day and are expected to grow to 18 BCF/day in 2028. He notes that despite these expected export increases, domestic prices for natural gas are not expected to grow very much, with only marginal growth expected.

     With European sanctions on Russian pipelined gas, imports of U.S. LNG are expected to grow and remain robust. Since the advent of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Europe has been buying the bulk of U.S. LNG and that remains the case, with Europe currently purchasing two-thirds of U.S. LNG. Demand for LNG in Asia also remains high, especially with Middle East supplies disrupted.

   

 

References:

 

U.S. Oil and Petroleum Product Exports Reach Record as the War in Iran Continues. AAPG. Well Read. Shangyou Nie. 

Southeast Asia’s Deepwater Oil & Gas Exploration Resurgence Can Produce Needed Resources, but Economics are Marginal, According to Wood MacKenzie

     Wood MacKenzie’s Angus Rodger and Munish Kumar recently summarized new developments in deepwater oil & gas exploration in Southeast Asia. I occasionally post about new discoveries and have included some from the region, including a recent large natural gas and condensate find in offshore Indonesia’s Kutei Basin.

     The WoodMac analysts note that Southeast Asia had a deepwater 1.0 period when deepwater exploration was new to the area, and reserves were found, followed by a period of few discoveries. Now, they say a new period of discoveries has begun.

“The first wave of Asian deepwater projects (‘Deepwater 1.0’) took place between 2008 and 2017, during which approximately 23 tcf of gas (4 bnboe) was developed. This period saw the first-ever deepwater gas projects in Malaysia, India and China. Since then, activity has been sporadic, constrained by commercial, strategic, technical and regulatory challenges.”

     They note that about 28TCF is ready to be monetized in these plays, but economics will likely be tougher than the Deepwater 1.0 period. They do, however, cite a good investment environment and geopolitical stability in the area to help develop these reserves, which are needed, especially with ongoing supply disruptions in the Middle East, which have been hurting Asian economies.

     Despite the potential value of these reserves and the need to secure more energy, as the graph below shows, achieving economic success will be difficult, and margins can be impacted by unforeseen events like cost overruns and delays.

“Despite the material resource volumes, the economics of Deepwater 2.0 projects are exceptionally fragile. Wood Mackenzie data shows that achieving a targeted 15% internal rate of return (IRR) leaves little margin for cost overruns, schedule delays or fiscal slippage.”

"Success will depend on three critical factors: accelerating development timelines, leveraging brownfield infrastructure and maintaining disciplined project execution. Those that secure infrastructure early, lock in service capacity and move decisively will capture value. Those that cannot risk seeing project value erode rapidly."

    

   

References:

 

Southeast Asia faces its deepwater gas 2.0 moment: We explore how operators can navigate fragile economics to unlock 28 tcf of critical new deepwater gas supply across the region. 23 April 2026. Angus Rodger and Munish Kumar. Wood MacKenzie. Southeast Asia faces its deepwater gas 2.0 moment | Wood Mackenzie

 

 

 

 

 

Surfactant Chemistry for Enhanced Oil Recovery: Natural/Bio-Surfactants, Supramolecular Carriers, Polymeric Surfactants, and Nano Emulsions Emerge as Suitable Technologies

     Chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) has been around for a while. Recently, interest has grown as it has been successfully deployed. A July 2023 paper in the journal Energy & Fuels explains that surfactants work by:

“…changing either fluid/rock and/or fluid/fluid interaction due to ion-pair forming and/or surfactant adsorption on the rock surface. As the main surfactant role in EOR, IFT {inter-facial tension} reduction refers to adsorbing of surfactant molecules on the residual oil/water interface, which causes an increase in capillary number; as a result, trapped oil drops in porous media get free and start to move through the pore space toward the production well.”

     That paper also notes that the downsides of chemical surfactants, including toxicity, cost, and environmental impact, can be overcome if significant natural surfactants are developed through methods such as so-called “green chemistry,” via plant-based surfactants.

     A July 2024 paper in the journal ACS Omega: Advancements in Surfactant Carriers for Enhanced Oil Recovery: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Opportunities, explores EOR surfactants and surfactant carriers.

     The paper explains some of the issues with surfactants below:

“Surfactant injection is a widely used chemical EOR method that aims to change the rocks’ wettability, reduce the interfacial tension between the oil and water phases, making the oil more mobile and easier to displace from the reservoir rock. This method has been successfully applied in several field projects, and recent studies have focused on optimizing the formulation of surfactant solutions and understanding the mechanisms of oil displacement by surfactants. Despite their high efficiency, the surfactants used in EOR processes must be carefully evaluated due to their production cost, toxicity, and tendency to adsorb on the reservoir surfaces.”

     Targeted delivery of the surfactants via carrier systems has also been a focus in recent years. Supramolecular technologies have gained in importance “due to their unique self-assembly properties and ability to form complex, functional structures.” They explain supramolecular carrier systems below:

“Supramolecular carrier systems exploit noncovalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, hydrophobic interactions, pi-pi stacking, and ion-dipole interactions, to create highly ordered structures capable of encapsulating and releasing surfactants in a controlled manner. The self-assembly of these systems enables the formation of micelles, vesicles, and other nanostructures with tunable characteristics, designed to respond to external stimuli such as changes in pH, temperature, or the presence of specific ions. This responsiveness allows for the controlled and localized release of surfactants, enhancing the efficiency of the EOR process.”

     They also explain non-supramolecular methods, especially nanoparticle methods, several involving nanoparticles or nano-structured materials:

“On the other hand, nonsupramolecular carrier systems, including inorganic or polymer nanoparticles, liposomes, and other nanostructured materials, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene, have also demonstrated promising results. These systems often utilize covalent bonding and physical encapsulation methods to protect and transport active surfactant molecules. Surface engineering of these materials can be tailored to improve surfactant transport and release, making them suitable for a wide range of industrial applications, including EOR.”

     Choosing which kind of surfactant and delivery method can depend on the qualities of the reservoir rock. These include mineralogy, the rock’s “wettability,” and chemical factors such as pH and the rock’s ionic charge. Thus, for instance, cationic surfactants are used with limestone reservoirs and anionic surfactants are used with sandstone reservoirs.

     Surfactant loss is a challenge that must be mitigated. That is a major reason why transport or delivery of the surfactants to the reservoir rock is so important. The graphic flow chart below explores strategies to reduce surfactant loss.

     The graphic chart below examines the environmental concerns of surfactants.

     

     The paper examines in detail several types of potential surfactant carriers, including inorganic nanoparticles, carbon nanomaterials, polymeric agents and surfactants, and supramolecular systems.

     The company Locus Bio-Energy Solutions, which develops biosurfactants for EOR, says that “biosurfactants are the future of sustainable and more effective oil recovery.” They define surfactants as follows, and note that they are used in many industries, including agriculture, cosmetics, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, mining, oil & gas, remediation, wastewater, and many more:

“Surfactants are compounds with inherent properties that reduce the surface and interfacial tension between two liquids, a gas and a liquid, or a liquid and a solid.”

“Surfactants, or surface-active agents, are compounds that contain a hydrophilic, or “water-loving” head, and a hydrophobic, or “water-fearing” tail—allowing them to lower the surface tension between liquids, gases or solids. In oilfield applications, surfactants are critical components of scale and corrosion inhibitors, hydraulic fracturing fluids, drilling muds and enhanced oil recovery treatments.”

     Surfactants can function as cleansers, detergents, dispersants, foamers, emulsifiers, viscosity builders, and wetting agents. They are used in several different ways in oil & gas development and extraction. There is a growing push these days to develop biosurfactants as a more sustainable approach. Biosurfactants are produced biologically via microorganisms, which can produce a variety of “surface-active substances.” While microbes produce the biosurfactants, the biosurfactants themselves are not alive. They are also sterile.

“All biosurfactants are amphiphiles, they consist of two parts—a polar (hydrophilic) moiety and non polar (hydrophobic) group.”

     As noted below, biosurfactants have several advantages over chemical surfactants and bio-based chemical surfactants:

“Biosurfactants, specifically fermentation-produced biosurfactants, offer significant advantages over synthetic surfactants and other bio-based surfactants. These include enhanced multifunctional performance, better environmental compatibility, 10x lower toxicity, higher biodegradability and maintained activity under extreme conditions of temperatures, salinity and pH values.”

     While biosurfactants have been around for a while, in the past, they have been cost-prohibitive. Locus Bio-Energy says they have developed a cheaper way to produce them via fermentation. They say they can provide them with less than 10% of the CAPEX required for traditional recovery methods. They note that past methods of microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) developed in the 1980s and 90s sought to produce the microbes in situ, essentially growing them downhole. The results were inconsistent, and the process was hard to control. Locus Bio-Energy’s final product is different since it does not contain the microbes, which are confined to the fermentation vats. They also design biosurfactant treatment to remediate wells from paraffin and wax buildup and for use in frac fluids during hydraulic fracturing of wells.

     Surfactant flooding has long been used to aid heavy oil recovery. It creates an emulsion that can separate out the oil for extraction. In a March 2026 paper in Physics of Fluids, Wang et al. studied the use of nano-emulsions in surfactant flooding to increase the efficacy of oil recovery.

“When surfactants are added to [an] oil-sand mixture, the hydrophobic tails can penetrate into the oil phase to reduce the heavy oil viscosity and oil-water interfacial tension,” said author Wanying Wang. “Consequently, the oil can be effectively removed from the oil-sand mixtures.”

     Nano-emulsions contain smaller drops than traditional emulsions, which results in more uniform droplet dispersion and long-term stability.

“The team found that combining a nonionic surfactant, fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO-7), and an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), showed the best oil-washing efficiency.”

“This is attributed to the synergistic stabilization of the oil-water interface by AEO-7 and SDS … which promotes oil peeling and enhances oil–sand separation,” Wang said.

“This study provides novel interfacial mechanical insights for developing high-performance nano-emulsion systems.”

     It appears that surfactants and especially biosurfactants will continue to be used and further developed to be used more and with better results for improving oil recoveries as the science progresses.

 

 

References:

 

Advancements in Surfactant Carriers for Enhanced Oil Recovery: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Opportunities. Kelly C B Maia, Agatha Densy dos Santos Francisco, Mateus Perissé Moreira, Regina S V Nascimento, and Daniel Grasseschi. American Chemical Society. ACS Omega. 2024 July 22; 9 (35):36874–36903. Advancements in Surfactant Carriers for Enhanced Oil Recovery: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Opportunities - PMC

Improving surfactant flooding for heavy oil recovery using nano-emulsions: A combination of a nonionic and an anionic surfactant showed the most effective oil-washing efficiency. Hannah Daniel. AIP Publishing. April 10, 2026. Improving surfactant flooding for heavy oil recovery using nano-emulsions | Scilight | AIP Publishing

Review of the Application of Natural Surfactants in Enhanced Oil Recovery: State-of-the-Art and Perspectives. Sarkar Muheedin, Hama Abbas, Khaksar Manshad, and Jagar A. Ali. ACS Energy & Fuels. Vol 37/Issue 14. July 4, 2023. Review of the Application of Natural Surfactants in Enhanced Oil Recovery: State-of-the-Art and Perspectives | Energy & Fuels

Oil Industry, Remember this Word for Enhanced Performance: Biosurfactants: Why? Because Biosurfactants are the Future of Sustainable and More Effective Oil Recovery: The Basics of Surfactants. Locus Bio-Energy (website). Oil Industry, Remember This Word For Enhanced Performance: Biosurfactants | Locus Bio-Energy

On the effects of surfactant charge on interfacial stability in nano-emulsions. Wanying Wang, Zhe Li; Bobo Zhou; Yilu Zhao; Yulong Cheng; Xuesong Yang; Lei Wang; Yaowen Xing; Xiahui Gui. Physics of Fluids. Volume 38, Issue 3. March 2026. On the effects of surfactant charge on interfacial stability in nano-emulsions | Physics of Fluids | AIP Publishing

Emerging Contaminants in Surface and Groundwater in an Intensive Agro-Industrial Region in India: Assessed in New Study

      A November 2025 paper in the Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances explores emerging contaminants in surface and groundwater in an intensive agro-industrial region. In this case, the agro-industrial region studied is in India.

“This study monitored pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and phthalates (PAEs) to assess spatial distribution, ecological and human health risks and source assessment in the surface and groundwater of Hindon River Basin, India.”

     The study was divided into five parts, as shown in the infographic below. 1) data collection, 2) pesticides leaching potential, 3) ecological health risk assessment, 4) health risk assessment, and 5) source apportionment.

     The study assessed the leaching potential of pesticides. The study area contains multiple partially treated agricultural and industrial wastewater discharges and polluted rivers, and these are definitively linked to the emerging contaminants detected. Declining local groundwater levels and flooding can also affect emergent contaminant levels.

     They assessed the type of pesticides with the highest leaching risks. They assessed the ecological risks of different pesticides that are widely used on rice, wheat, and sugarcane. Risks to aquatic organisms and fish were assessed.

     They also did a health risk assessment that included that ingestion was the highest risk, and phthalates were the highest risk chemicals.  

     The source apportionment section determined that the sources of the emerging contaminants included different local industries.

"The presence of PAEs was linked to textile-dyeing, paper and pulp, plastic molding, and widespread use of plasticizers, adhesives and coatings in the chemical industries. In contrast, PAHs presence reflected fossil fuel combustion, brick kiln operations, crop residues open burning, and vehicular traffic.”

 

References:

 

Emerging contaminants in surface and groundwater of an intensive agro-industrial region: Distribution, risks, and sources assessment. Kartik Jadav and Basant Yadav. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances. Volume 20, November 2025, 100893. Emerging contaminants in surface and groundwater of an intensive agro-industrial region: Distribution, risks, and sources assessment - ScienceDirect

RNG Directly from Pre-Treated Sewage: New Method Offers Significantly More Efficient Anaerobic Digestion, Cuts Treatment Costs, Reduces CO Emissions, and Produces More RNG

     Researchers at Washington State University recently published in the Chemical Engineering Journal about a new bioreactor that improves the efficiency of converting raw sewage to biogas and processes it into renewable natural gas (RNG). Good News Network reports the very good results obtained when pre-treating the sewage sludge:

“When the researchers pretreated sludge collected from a nearby wastewater facility, they produced 200% more renewable natural gas compared to current practices—and cut the cost of disposal by nearly 50%.”

“This technology basically converts up to 80% of the sewage sludge into something valuable,” said Professor Birgitte Ahring of WSU’s School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, and one of the authors of the paper.

     They explain that wastewater treatment is a major consumer of electricity, making up 3 to 4% of the electricity used in the U.S.  

“About half of the approximately 15,000 wastewater treatment plants in the U.S. use anaerobic digestion to reduce sewage waste and make biogas, but the process, in which microbes break down the waste, is inefficient and struggles to break down all the complex molecules in the sludge.”

     For their study, the researchers utilized pretreatment of the sewage sludge "at high temperature and pressure with oxygen added before the anaerobic digestion process. The small amount of oxygen under high-pressure conditions acts as a catalyst to break down the long polymer chains in the material.” That pretreatment step resulted in lowering the cost of sewage treatment from $494 to $253 per ton of dry solids.

     After pretreatment, the researchers utilized a novel bacterial strain and hydrogen to convert CO2 to methane. The result was a gas of high purity at 99% methane. They patented the bacterial strain and are now working on developing a larger demonstration pilot project.

“This approach not only enhances carbon conversion efficiency and methane yield but also enables direct production of pipeline-quality renewable natural gas with minimal CO2 content — addressing two major limitations of existing sludge-to-energy systems into a single, scalable methodology,” said Ahring.

“By successfully bridging advanced pretreatment with biological biogas upgrading, this work provides a new, integrated paradigm for sustainable sludge treatment maximizing energy recovery while contributing to the circular bio-economy.”

     As the abstract notes, the Advanced Pretreatment and Anaerobic Digestion (APAD) processes resulted in increasing the carbon conversion efficiency to 83%, and the RNG output increased by a whopping 200%. 

     CO2 often makes up 35-40% of the biogas stream. Conventional anaerobic digestion pretreatment results in a mere 40% carbon conversion efficiency, so this is a huge improvement. If the process can be perfected and commercialized, it could have huge implications for reducing the costs of wastewater treatment and RNG production at these plants. Of course, it would also cut the carbon emissions of these facilities significantly in two ways. One way is by reducing the energy required for treatment. The other is by converting the CO2 to methane instead of flaring it or venting it into the atmosphere.  

“The biogas yield from conventional anaerobic digestion is often insufficient to justify energy recovery investments, resulting in routine flaring. WWTFs that operate AD systems and want to add biogas to the natural gas grid must first purify the biogas, removing CO2 (35–40%) to meet quality standards for renewable natural gas (RNG). Increased conversion of sludge solids into biogas will reduce the disposal burden of biosolids. Additionally, improving the quality of the biogas will avoid flaring it. If the biogas is not used for electricity production, then it can be upgraded to RNG and injected into the natural gas grid.”

     The schematic and flow chart below show the basic process of the APAD processes.

     The process involves taking dewatered anaerobically digested sewage sludge (DADSS) and pretreating it in the bioreactor, which is shown below. The process is known as Advanced Wet oxidation & Steam Explosion pretreatment (AWOEx). The biogas is upgraded to RNG in a trickle-bed bioreactor. Both processes are combined in the same bioreactor.

     Some figures from the paper are given below showing these stellar results.

     If this process is scaled up, it could result in great savings for wastewater treatment plants, increased RNG production, and a huge reduction in the carbon footprint of the plants.

     The conclusion of the paper, given below, summarizes the results.

 

 References:

 

Researchers Develop Way to Get Natural Gas That’s Renewable Directly From Sewage. Good News Network. April 25, 2026. Researchers Develop Way to Get Natural Gas That’s Renewable Directly From Sewage

Improving anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge to renewable natural gas by the Advanced Pretreatment & Anaerobic Digestion technology (APAD): Pilot testing. Birgitte K. Ahring, Fuad Ale Enriquez, Muhammad Usman Khan, Peter Valdez, Francesca Pierobon, Timothy E. Seiple, and Richard Garrison. Chemical Engineering Journal. Volume 531, 1 March 2026, 173931. Improving anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge to renewable natural gas by the Advanced Pretreatment & Anaerobic Digestion technology (APAD): Pilot testing - ScienceDirect