Degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) vapors by cometabolism with pentane using a culture of pentane-oxidizing bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) was studied in a 2.4-L biofilter packed with vermiculite, an inert mineral support. Experimental pentane elimination capacity (EC) of approximately 12 g m(-3) h(-1) was obtained for an empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 1.1 h and inlet concentr...

This study investigated the aerobic biodegradation of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) by a microbial consortium in a continuous up-flow packed-bed biofilm reactor using tezontle stone particles as a supporting material for the biofilm. Although MTBE is toxic for microbial communities, the microbial consortium used here was able to resist MTBE loading rates up to 128.3 mg L-1 h-1, with remova...

The kinetics and mechanism of the sonolytic degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) have been investigated at an ultrasonic frequency of 205 kHz and power of 200 W L-1. The observed first-order degradation rate constant for the loss of MTBE increased from 4.1 × 10-4 s-1 to 8.5 × 10-4 s-1 as the concentration of MTBE decreased from 1.0 to 0.01 mM. In the presence of O3, the sonolytic rate ...

Multidimensional compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) was applied in combination with RNA-based molecular tools to characterize methyl tertiary (tert-) butyl ether (MTBE) degradation mechanisms occurring in biofilms in an aerated treatment pond used for remediation of MTBE-contaminated groundwater. The main pathway for MTBE oxidation was elucidated by linking the low-level stable is...

Methyl-tert-butyl (MTBE) is widely used in gasoline to reduce ozone and carbon monoxide emissions. However, it is highly water-soluble and does not absorb well to sediments, making it move quickly through groundwater systems. In addition, MTBE resists biological degradation, compared to other gasoline components, probably because of the high energy required to cleave its ether bond. The contami...

Methyl tert-butyl ether ~MTBE! biodegradation was investigated using a continuously stirred tank reactor with biomass retention ~porous pot reactor! operated under aerobic conditions. MTBE was fed to the reactor at an influent concentration of 150 mg/L ~1.70 mM!. An identical reactor was operated as a killed control under the same conditions. Operation of these reactors demonstrated that remova...

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), an octane enhancer and a fuel oxygenate in reformulated gasoline, has received increasing public attention after it was detected as a major contaminant of water resources. Although several techniques have been developed to remediate MTBE-contaminated sites, the fate of MTBE is mainly dependent upon natural degradation processes. Compound-specific stable isotope a...

The 1990 Clean Air Act mandated oxygenation of gasoline in regions where carbon monoxide standards were not met. To achieve this standard, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) was increased to 15% by volume during winter months in many locations. Subsequent to the increase of MTBE in gasoline, commuters reported increases in symptoms such as headache, nausea, and eye, nose, and throat irritation....