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Abstract

The addition of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) to gasoline has resulted in public uncertainty regarding the continued reliance on biological processes for gasoline remediation. Despite this concern, researchers have shown that MTBE can be effectively degraded in the laboratory under aerobic conditions using pure and mixed cultures with half-lives ranging from 0.04 to 29 days. Ex-situ aerobic fixed-film and aerobic suspended growth bioreactor studies have demonstrated decreases in MTBE concentrations of 83% and 96% with hydraulic residence times of 0.3 hrs and 3 days, respectively. In microcosm and field studies, aerobic biodegradation half-lives range from 2 to 693 days. These half-lives have been shown to decrease with increasing dissolved oxygen concentrations and, in some cases, with the addition of exogenous MTBE-degraders. MTBE concentrations have also been observed to decrease under anaerobic conditions; however, these rates are not as well defined. Several detailed field case studies describing the use of ex-situ reactors, natural attenuation, and bioaugmentation are presented in this paper and demonstrate the potential for successful remediation of MTBE-contaminated aquifers. In conclusion, a substantial amount of literature is available which demonstrates that the in-situ biodegradation of MTBE is contingent on achieving aerobic conditions in the contaminated aquifer.

The Fate of MTBE and BTEX in Constructed Wetlands

“…Biological processes represent an alternative solution to MTBE removal. Microbial degradation (i.e., biodegradation) has been extensively studied in the laboratory [3,58,[70][71][72], which confirmed its degradation potential under an aerobic environment. However, site-specific parameters affect the occurrence of aerobic MTBE biodegradation [73,74], while only a few microorganisms can utilize MTBE as their sole carbon source [75][76][77].…”

Methyl t-butyl ether-degrading bacteria for bioremediation and biocontrol purposes

“…The involvement of these microorganisms in the bioremediation process have found wide application in environmental and agricultural sectors [28,29,30,31,32]. Numerous treatments exploit the opportunity to use pollutantdegrading microorganisms previously isolated from soils contaminated by the same compound [33,34]. In fact, recently, it was demonstrated the capacity of natural ecosystems to develop a microbiota adapted to polluted soil due to anthropogenic activities as release of organic xenobiotic compounds [35].…”

High Selective Composite Polyalkylmethylsiloxane Membranes for Pervaporative Removal of MTBE from Water: Effect of Polymer Side-chain

“…A lot of research has been devoted to the problem of MTBE removal from wastewater [ 6 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Such methods as adsorption, air purging, chemical oxidation, and biological treatment are considered for treating water contaminated with MTBE [ 11 ].…”

“…Such methods as adsorption, air purging, chemical oxidation, and biological treatment are considered for treating water contaminated with MTBE [ 11 ]. To date, biological treatment is the most common method of cleaning wastewaters containing MTBE [ 15 , 16 ]. The use of microorganisms to convert organic pollutants to carbon dioxide and water allows the achievement of a high degree of wastewater treatment.…”