A smarter, multifunctional biosurfactant-based solution is redefining acid stimulation in California oil wells and beyond, with 70% production gains
California’s acidizing challenge—and the emerging solution
California’s oil and gas industry is facing a trifecta of challenges: declining production, stricter environmental regulations and limited stimulation treatment options. With hydraulic fracturing now banned statewide and acid stimulation (acidizing) facing tight constraints under Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), operators must find new ways to safely and effectively restore well performance.
The good news? They’ve found a solution. Oil & gas operators across the state have started using a game-changing innovation that’s reshaping acid stimulation. It’s already delivered impressive production increases across 800+ wells.
In our latest white paper, How to Maximize Well Production by Streamlining Acid Remediation Treatments with Biosurfactant Microemulsions, we unpack how operators in California’s San Joaquin, Ventura and Santa Maria basins are replacing complex, multi-chemical acid jobs with a single biosurfactant-based microemulsion (BME) from Locus Bio-Energy—and achieving major cost savings, production uplifts and environmental gains.
This blog summarizes key findings from the white paper and shares how California’s leading acidizing provider, Cal Coast Acidizing, is now using the biosurfactant-based solution in their treatments.
READ MORE: CAL COAST PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
Here’s a closer look at what you’ll learn in the full white paper—available now for download.
Acid Stimulation Limitations in California Oil Wells
Acid stimulation has long been a go-to method for restoring production from oil wells affected by paraffin and asphaltene buildup, scale or near-wellbore damage. The approach has historically relied on multi-stage jobs using traditional surfactants, solvents and anti-sludge additives. These chemicals often underperform, create logistical headaches and carry significant safety and compliance risks.
California’s regulatory restrictions have caused additional challenges.
With Senate Bill 4 imposing acid volume limitations and strict reporting requirements, operators now face unprecedented restrictions on how they maintain production. Because of these restrictions, acidizing jobs in California fall into the remediation or “maintenance acidizing” category with typically <2,000 gallons of total acid pumped on a job. Legacy acid jobs—built around separate solvents, surfactants and anti-sludge agents—no longer meet the performance or compliance standards required.
That’s where Locus Bio-Energy’s proprietary biosurfactant-based microemulsion (BME), AcidBoost®, comes in.
What is AcidBoost®?
Developed by Locus Bio-Energy, AcidBoost is a biosurfactant-based microemulsion (BME) that consolidates three additives—solvent, surfactant, and anti-sludge—into one single, ready-to-use formulation. It is a multifunctional alternative to traditional acidizing chemistries that cuts down chemical volumes, simplifies treatment design and enhances effectiveness.
AcidBoost is designed to work with 15% HCl and other acid systems across a wide range of temperatures and well conditions. Rather than layering chemicals in a staged process, it brings powerful cleaning, sludge control and wettability reversal in a single step.
AcidBoost outperforms conventional additives in critical performance metrics:
- Surface tension reduction: AcidBoost outperforms common nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), improving acid contact with formation surfaces.
- Interfacial tension reduction: With IFT as low as 0.34 mN/m, AcidBoost has similar reduction capacity as conventional surfactants.
- Contact angle reduction: AcidBoost restores water-wet conditions for deeper acid penetration.
- Detergency: AcidBoost cleans residual hydrocarbons at lower dosages than xylene.
- Sludge control: AcidBoost reduces sludge formation by more than 60%, even without iron chelators.
Why Traditional Acidizing Systems Fall Short
Legacy acid systems have multiple critical shortcomings, including:
- Chemical incompatibility: Conventional surfactants and solvents are often unstable in acid, leading to emulsion issues, phase separation and treatment failures.
- Operational complexity: Staged applications of multiple additives increase costs, logistical burdens, and risk of human error.
- ESG risks: Traditional treatments often involve flammable, toxic chemicals that increase wellsite hazards and violate environmental mandates.
- Underwhelming results: Despite high chemical loads, many acid jobs fail to improve production long-term—especially under SB 4’s volume limitations.
Traditional acid stimulation jobs often require multiple totes or more of different additives. With AcidBoost, operators can treat wells with just two components: acid and Locus’ biosurfactant-based microemulsion. This drastically reduces complexity, costs and wellsite hazards.
By consolidating multiple functions into one acid-compatible blend, AcidBoost streamlines jobs, improves outcomes and aligns with the state’s strictest regulations.
Field-Proven Acidizing Results in California Oil Wells
Perhaps the most compelling section of the white paper is the business case. One operator in California treated 46 wells with Locus Bio-Energy’s AcidBoost. The results speak for themselves:
12 months post-acidizing treatment
- 70% increase in oil production
- $750K incremental production revenue per month
- 9 bpd per well average production uplift (13 bpd per well baseline average production pre-treatment)
Across 866+ wells treated to date, AcidBoost has reduced ancillary chemical volumes by up to 80% and streamlined execution.
The takeaway? AcidBoost isn’t just another additive. It’s a high-impact acidizing treatment that helps oil & gas operators do more with less—less chemical, less volume, less cost and less hassle.
Why Cal Coast Acidizing Chose AcidBoost for California Oil Wells
Cal Coast Acidizing—a trusted leader in California well stimulation—has partnered with Locus Bio-Energy to offer AcidBoost across their service portfolio.
The partnership gives California oil & gas operators in the San Joaquin and Ventura basins access to:
- Local support and deployment from a leading acidizing contractor
- A proven, ESG-aligned chemistry with field success across California
- A fast-track path to production increases that meet SB 4 mandates
READ MORE: CAL COAST PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
Ready to Learn More About Smarter Acidizing?
Learn more about Locus’ biosurfactant-based microemulsions, and how AcidBoost is helping operators future-proof their well treatments—while lowering risk and boosting bottom-line performance.
Fill out the contact form to download the full white paper.
