Remediation of groundwater contaminated with MTBE and benzene: The potential of vertical-flow soil filter systems

Afferden, Manfred van; Rahman, Khaja Zillur; Mosig, Peter; Biase, Cecilia De; Thullner, Martin; Oswald, Sascha E.; Müller, Roland

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2011.07.010

Cited by 58 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…It has been found that under a hydraulic residence time exceeding 1 day, the role of volatilization is most important in VF CWs [41], although lower rates (<5%) have also been estimated [42,43]. On the other hand, the contribution of volatilization in benzene removal was assessed at around 1% in HSSF CWs [44]. Table 1 shows studies that can be found in the international literature on benzene removal with different CW types.…”

Section: Fate Of Benzene In Constructed Wetlandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…MTBE is highly persistent in the environment [3,13,59] and is frequently found in contaminated groundwaters in Europe and North America [19,[63][64][65][66]. MTBE affects water taste and odor and may affect human health [13]; therefore, it is classified as a health hazard by the US EPA and has a maximum allowed concentration in drinking water (200 µg/L) in the United States and Germany [44]. Thus, MTBE removal from industrial effluents is required in order to avoid further environmental contamination before it reaches drinking water resources.…”

Section: Fate Of Mtbe In Constructed Wetlandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The experimental setup included several designs, such as aerated ponds [24], HSSF CWs, and VF CWs. Two VF CWs units were tested [44]: one unplanted with expanded clay as substrate media and one planted with willows (Salix alba) containing zeolite. The surface area of each VF CW was 4 m 2 and the depth was 1.75 m. Groundwater was fed every hour and was introduced 15 or 25 cm below the top of the substrate media surface, resulting in an unsaturated downflow.…”

Section: Fate Of Mtbe In Constructed Wetlandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Fate of MTBE and BTEX in Constructed Wetlands

Stefanakis

2019

Applied Sciences

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Hydrocarbon contamination of water resources is a global issue. These compounds are generated and discharged into the environment in industrial areas from chemical and petrochemical plants, oil refineries, power plants, and so forth. Fuel hydrocarbons, namely, BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) and MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether), are commonly found in groundwater, posing environmental and health risks to humans and ecosystems. Nature-based technologies represent an alternative solution, providing high efficiency, an environmentally friendly character, simple operation, and cost efficiency, which are characteristics particularly desired by the international petroleum industry. This article discusses the use of the green technology of constructed wetlands to remediate water polluted with hydrocarbons. Although the number of related international experiences and studies is limited, the article presents the latest developments of wetland technology for the removal of MTBE and benzene-BTEX. The discussion includes the overall efficiency of the different wetland types that have been tested and used, the main transformation and removal processes that regulate the fate of BTEX and MTBE in constructed wetlands, and the potential for future investigations.

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Section: Fate Of Benzene In Constructed Wetlandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fate Of Mtbe In Constructed Wetlandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fate Of Mtbe In Constructed Wetlandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Fate of MTBE and BTEX in Constructed Wetlands

Stefanakis

2019

Applied Sciences

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“…MTBE is considered a carcinogenic compound and, due to its physical and chemical properties, such as a high solubility, low vapor pressure, and low sorption capacity, MTBE can be recalcitrant in the subsurface (Schmidt, ). Thus, it can be difficult to remediate MTBE with traditional technologies (Van Afferden et al., ). Oxidation of PHCs, including additives, such as MTBE by H 2 O 2 enhanced by the addition of Fe 2+ (i.e., Fenton's reaction) has been shown to be effective, but studies have shown that oxidation of MTBE can result in the production of by‐products, such as tert‐butyl formate (TBF), tert‐butyl alcohol (TBA), acetone, methanol, and formaldehyde, which can be toxic to receptors (Chang & Young, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical oxidation using stabilized hydrogen peroxide in high temperature, saline groundwater impacted with hydrocarbons and MTBE

Kashir

McGregor²,

Gusti

et al. 2017

Remediation

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In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) within groundwater is considered a proven approach to addressing PHC‐impacted groundwater in nonsaline environments. One of the most common oxidants used for oxidation of PHCs in groundwater is hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Due to its highly reactive nature, H2O2 is often stabilized to aid in increasing its reactivity lifespan. Limited research and application of ISCO has been completed in warm, saline groundwater environments. Furthermore, even fewer studies have been completed in these environments for ISCO using stabilized H2O2. In this research, stabilized H2O2 was examined to determine its effectiveness in the treatment of PHCs and the additive methyl tert‐butyl ether (MTBE). Three stabilizers (citrate, phytate, silica [SiO2]) were tested to determine if the stabilizers could enhance and extend the treatment life of H2O2 within saline groundwater. To determine the effect of salinity on the three stabilizers, groundwater and aquifer samples were collected from two saline locations that had different salinity (total dissolved solids of about 7,000 mg/L and 18,000 mg/L). Specific target chemicals for treatment were water soluble, mobile components of gasoline including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, (BTEX) and MTBE. Previous studies using unactivated persulfate indicated that the PHCs within the groundwater could be oxidized, however, only limited oxidation of the MTBE could be affected. The results of the laboratory tests indicated that greater than 95 percent of the target hydrocarbons were removed within 7 days of treatment. Microcosms with citrate‐stabilized H2O2 demonstrated a significantly faster and greater decline with most hydrocarbon concentrations reaching < 5 μg/L. The exceptions were ethylbenzene and m‐xylene, which were slightly decreased to about 30 and 20 μg/L, respectively. Initial mean concentrations of the BTEX compounds within the citrate‐stabilized microcosms were 10,554 μg/L, 9,318 μg/L, 6,859 μg/L, and 14,435 μg/L, respectively. The silicate‐stabilized H2O2 microcosms showed no significant benefit over the unstabilized control microcosms. The better performance of citrate‐stabilized microcosms was confirmed by increasing δ13C values of remaining hydrocarbons. MTBE declined from > 400 mg/L to < 100 mg/L in all microcosms, again with the best removal (> 90 percent) being measured in the citrate‐stabilized microcosms. Unfortunately, H2O2 oxidation in the microcosms also resulted in production of up to 40 mg/L TBA or approximately 10 percent of the MTBE oxidized.

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“…Additionally, the groundwater is highly contaminated with ammonium (NH 4 + ) deriving from a former ammonia production site. Therefore, the Leuna site was chosen as the reference site for testing the bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons and NH 4 + contaminated groundwater with 5 several different pilot-scale HSSF-CWs (Seeger et al, 2011;van Afferden et al, 2011;Chen et al, 2012 . The main objective of the study was to evaluate whether MET can be used to improve the biodegradation of the main contaminants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%