The project characterized and quantified as a function of pressure, temperature and bulk composition the exergonic intra- and extracellular reactions catalyzed by thermo- and hyperthermophilic microbes at the oil-water interface in sedimentary basins. The reactions have been characterized and described quantitatively in terms of the chemical potentials of the components of the system in compositional hyperspace using thermodynamics, together with Gibbs free energy minimization and mass transfer computer experiments. A quantitative understanding of the biogeochemical processes responsible for the degradation of reservoired petroleum is fundamental to minimize the deleterious effects of microbial sulfidization and degradation processes.