Petroleum is a popular topic among Malaysians, more so when there is a hike in the fuel price.

It is also known as “black gold” due to its high value and big contribution to the country’s economic stability.

Malaysians normally view the oil and gas sector as the place for making money based on claims that it offers more than double the salary at other sectors.

What they do not know is that, in order for the country’s main product to be generated, it requires high cost, proper planning, and continuous maintenance.

One of the major problems at oil platforms is the existence of biofoulers, which are marine microorganisms that accumulate on the platforms’ structures and the pipelines underwater. Biofoulers cause a reduction in oil production because they occupy the space in the pipelines. Biofoulers lessen the diameter of the pipelines and create high fluid flow that interferes with the system’s operations.

Oil drilling companies must incur an immense cost to replace the pipelines damaged by biofoulers.

According to antifouling researcher Assoc. Prof. Dr Noraznawati Ismail, who is also a Senior Lecturer at UMT’s Institute of Marine Biotechnology, the formation of biofoulers begins with the presence of bacteria (first layer), followed by the accumulation of microorganism Protista and macroorganism such as clams, barnacles, and mussles (second layer). Both organisms engage in a symbiotic relationship to continue their existence in extreme conditions.

The severity of the biofouling issue on pipelines at oil platforms has led Petronas to consider collaborating with UMT research team.

“Praise be to God, both UMT and Petronas have agreed to collaborate to solve the biofouling issue that has caused the company to incur expensive maintenance cost. For this project, the research team received a fund of RM1,008,200 from Petronas. The project is expected to complete in 12 months and will end March 2020,” Dr Norzanawati said.

She also said that the project can be completed in the scheduled time, with the availability of appropriate facilities and qualified experts.

“With the existence of complete and up-to-date laboratory and contributions from team members who are experts in their fields, I am confident that the project’s outcome will help solve the biofouling problem on pipelines at oil platforms and in turn will increase the oil production. I believe this will give a big impact to the oil and gas industry in Malaysia and globally,” said Dr Noraznawati.

She was manning one of the R&D Showcase booths during the 17^th UMT Convocation Ceremony recently.

Publshed by:

Corporate Communication Centre

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu