What If Shale’s Leftover Oil Isn’t Lost After All?

Lab work shows surfactant-assisted CO2 might unlock more shale oil while aiding carbon management

9 Jan 2026

Laboratory research is prompting renewed discussion over whether more oil can be recovered from ageing US shale wells without drilling new ones, as scientists test ways to improve the performance of carbon dioxide injection in tight rock.

Researchers at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, working with the University of Pittsburgh, are studying the use of small amounts of surfactants mixed with CO₂ to mobilise oil that remains trapped after primary production and hydraulic fracturing. The aim is to change how CO₂ interacts with shale, allowing it to release oil bound to rock surfaces.

Shale formations such as North Dakota’s Bakken typically have low recovery rates. Even after years of production, a large share of the original oil in place remains underground. Previous attempts to use CO₂ for enhanced oil recovery in shale have delivered mixed results, in part because the gas tends to flow through existing fractures rather than contact trapped oil.

Laboratory experiments suggest that adding surfactants can alter wettability and reduce interfacial tension at the pore scale, improving oil mobilisation compared with CO₂ alone. Researchers involved in the work say the surfactants are effective at low concentrations, raising the prospect that the method could be economically viable if results translate beyond the laboratory.

So far, however, the research has not progressed to field pilots or commercial trials. Performance at reservoir scale, where shale properties vary widely, remains uncertain, and operational challenges could limit deployment.

Industry interest is emerging as producers seek to extend the life of existing wells while keeping capital spending in check. At the same time, expanding federal incentives for carbon capture and storage have revived attention on CO₂-based technologies. In theory, surfactant-assisted CO₂ recovery could overlap with carbon management by using captured industrial emissions, though such integration has yet to be demonstrated.

Researchers caution that significant hurdles remain, including field testing, regulatory approval and the complexity of applying chemical treatments at scale. For now, surfactant-assisted CO₂ remains an early-stage concept, with its importance lying more in long-term potential than near-term production gains.