In this study, we have brought several knowledge management theories and practices together and have investigated the valuable aspects in each one of them. Throughout our research, we have enabled knowledge reuse to be a guiding principle and have attempted to formulate an improved method for documenting knowledge. The focus has been to create actionable and reusable knowledge presented at the right time, to the right audience in a digitally condensed format that may hopefully will lead to improved decision-making, thereby potentially driving innovation and effectively reducing overall product realization lead-time. We have explored the effect of the Engineering Checksheet concept in two separate case studies where it was implemented in a real-life setting. The concept showed positive results as a knowledge carrier both for reuse by experienced and novice users.

Biological markers (BMs) are organic compounds in oils in which a precursor is known, and during the transformation of organic matter these compounds undergo certain structural and stereochemical changes. Based on the established precursors of BMs, the origin of the examined oils can be estimated, and based on the intensity and the type of changes and also geological history. It includes defining the deposition medium, the degree of maturation, the length of the oil migration path, the degree of biodegradation. The most studied and applied BMs are normal alkanes, isoprenoid aliphatic alkanes pristane and phytane, and polycyclic alkanes of the sterane and terapane type. On the other hand, in the environmental chemistry, these compounds can significantly contribute to the identification of petroleum pollutants, as well as to the assessment of the migration mechanism and the intensity of biodegradation. This review paper first presents the results related to the application of BMs in the organic geochemical correlations of oil in the south-eastern part of the Pannonian Basin (I). The second part provides an overview of those researches in which the same BMs were used in the identification of oil pollutants and in monitoring their changes during the migration and the biodegradation in rivers and river sediments of Serbia (II).