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Biotreatment of groundwater contaminated with MTBE: interaction of common environmental co-contaminants.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Wang, X; Deshusses, MA
Published in: Biodegradation
February 2007

Contamination of groundwater with the gasoline additive methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is often accompanied by many aromatic components such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, m-xylene and p-xylene (BTEX). In this study, a laboratory-scale biotrickling filter for groundwater treatment inoculated with a microbial consortium degrading MTBE was studied. Individual or mixtures of BTEX compounds were transiently loaded in combination with MTBE. The results indicated that single BTEX compound or BTEX mixtures inhibited MTBE degradation to varying degrees, but none of them completely repressed the metabolic degradation in the biotrickling filter. Tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), a frequent co-contaminant of MTBE had no inhibitory effect on MTBE degradation. The bacterial consortium was stable and showed promising capabilities to remove TBA, ethylbenzene and toluene, and partially degraded benzene and xylenes without significant lag time. The study suggests that it is feasible to deploy a mixed bacterial consortia to degrade MTBE, BTEX and TBA at the same time.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Biodegradation

DOI

EISSN

1572-9729

ISSN

0923-9820

Publication Date

February 2007

Volume

18

Issue

1

Start / End Page

37 / 50

Related Subject Headings

  • tert-Butyl Alcohol
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Methyl Ethers
  • Kinetics
  • Hydrocarbons, Aromatic
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Biotechnology
  • Bioreactors
  • Biodegradation, Environmental
  • Bacteria
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Wang, X., & Deshusses, M. A. (2007). Biotreatment of groundwater contaminated with MTBE: interaction of common environmental co-contaminants. Biodegradation, 18(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-005-9034-6
Wang, Xiaolin, and Marc A. Deshusses. “Biotreatment of groundwater contaminated with MTBE: interaction of common environmental co-contaminants.Biodegradation 18, no. 1 (February 2007): 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-005-9034-6.
Wang, Xiaolin, and Marc A. Deshusses. “Biotreatment of groundwater contaminated with MTBE: interaction of common environmental co-contaminants.Biodegradation, vol. 18, no. 1, Feb. 2007, pp. 37–50. Epmc, doi:10.1007/s10532-005-9034-6.
Journal cover image

Published In

Biodegradation

DOI

EISSN

1572-9729

ISSN

0923-9820

Publication Date

February 2007

Volume

18

Issue

1

Start / End Page

37 / 50

Related Subject Headings

  • tert-Butyl Alcohol
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Methyl Ethers
  • Kinetics
  • Hydrocarbons, Aromatic
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Biotechnology
  • Bioreactors
  • Biodegradation, Environmental
  • Bacteria