Research and application progress of biological agents in oilfield development in contest of “dual carbon” goals

The high-quality development of the petroleum industry is crucial to ensuring China’s energy security. Against the backdrop of global energy transition and the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” goals， traditional petroleum development technologies urgently need to shift towards green， low-carbon， and efficient directions. As a eco-friendly solutions for sustainable oilfield development， biological agents for oil recovery have become a promising technical direction for achieving green and sustainable development in mature oilfields， owing to their advantages such as renewability， biodegradability， environmental friendliness， functional diversity， and strong robustness in reservoir environments. A systematic overview of the theoretical studies and field practices of biological agents for oil recovery in China and abroad was provided， with future development prospects outlined considering existing technical limitations. Biological agents used for oil recovery mainly include biosurfactants， biopolymers， and enzymes， which have demonstrated significant technical advantages in multiple aspects of oilfield development. Biosurfactants exhibit excellent surface and interfacial activity， effectively reducing oil-water interfacial tension and enhancing oil displacement efficiency； biopolymers， with their high viscosity， can be used as environmentally friendly oil flooding system and drilling fluid additives to enhance oil recovery and minimize formation damage； enzymes， with their specific and mild catalytic activity， play an essential role in reservoir protection and environmental remediation. However， the application of biological agents in oilfield development still faces challenges such as varying levels of maturity， high synthesis costs for some agents， and incomplete implementation processes， leaving their application potential to be further explored. In the future， efforts should be grounded in China’s “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” goals and the actual needs of petroleum development， integrating innovations in bioengineering and oil recovery engineering technologies. Targeted research should focus on developing high-temperature and high-salt resistant， efficient， and low-cost biological agent systems for oil recovery and establishing fermentation and application process technologies for different biological agents. Ultimately， a comprehensive biological agent system for oil recovery that meets the full lifecycle and full-process requirements of oilfield development should be formed， ensuring the green and sustainable development of mature oilfields.