Biodegradation of Methyl tert-butyl ether by isolated bacteria from contaminated soils to gasoline

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was originally introduced as an additive to increase octane number into gasoline in the 1970s. Its use was primarily as an octane enhancer to replace lead in gasoline. Later on, it was also used as an oxygenate, up to 15% v/v, to accomplish a cleaner burning fuel with reduced emissions of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. The problem with MTBE is that it has caused wide-scale contamination of groundwater supplies from accidental releases and leaking underground fuel tanks. In this study, we have isolated three bacterial species from contaminated soils with gasoline which were capable of degrading of MTBE as sole carbon and energy source .The degradation rates of MTBE in 500ppm concentrationafter20 days about Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis andBacillusmegateriumwas93.2%, 60%and 97.97% respectively. These findings indicated that these bacteria were successfully adapted on MTBE and can be potentially offer to suitable and efficient method to treat MTBE contaminated environments.