A stand of five conifers (Pinus sp.) bordering a gasoline service station was studied to estimate the methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) emission rate from gasoline-impacted groundwater. Groundwater was impacted with gasoline oxygenates MTBE and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) at combined concentrations exceeding 200,000 microg/L. Condensate from trees was collected in sealed environmental chambers and an...

Methyl tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE) was first added to gasoline in Europe in 1973 to replace lead as an anti-knocking agent and as an octane enhancer (CAL-EPA, 1998). U.S. EPA approved it as a blending component in the U.S. in 1979, to eliminate the use of leaded gasoline. Typical MTBE levels used by refiners were around 2-3% by volume, blended in different proportions to achieve performance standards.

The widespread use of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) as a gasoline additive has resulted in a large number of cases of groundwater contamination. Bioremediation is often proposed as the most promising alternative after treatment. However, MTBE biodegradation appears to be quite different from the biodegradation of usual gasoline contaminants such as benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene (B...

The release of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) to the environment, mainly from damaged gasoline underground storage tanks or distribution systems spills, has provoked extended groundwater pollution. Biological treatments are, in general, a good alternative for bioremediation of polluted sites; however, MTBE elimination from environment has constituted a challenge because of its chemical structur...

The initial reactions in the cometabolic oxidation of the gasoline oxygenate, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), by Mycobacterium vaccae JOB5 have been characterized. Two products, tert-butyl formate (TBF) and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), rapidly accumulated extracellularly when propane-grown cells were incubated with MTBE. Lower rates of TBF and TBA production from MTBE were also observed with cells...

We report here the draft genome sequence of Paenibacillus etheri sp. nov. SH7(T) (= CECT 8558(T) = DSM 29760(T)), isolated from a hydrocarbon-contaminated soil pilot plant in Granada, Spain. The bacterium was isolated and sequenced due to its methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)-degrading properties.

In this study, evidence for two novel metabolic processes catalyzed by a filamentous fungus, Graphium sp. strain ATCC 58400, is presented. First, our results indicate that this Graphium sp. can utilize the widely used solvent diethyl ether (DEE) as the sole source of carbon and energy for growth. The kinetics of biomass accumulation and DEE consumption closely followed each other, and the molar...

The contamination of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in underground waters has become a widely concerned problem all over the world. In this study, a novel closed culture system with oxygen supplied by H2O2 was introduced for MTBE aerobic biodegradation. After 7 d, almost all MTBE was degraded by a pure culture, a member of beta-Proteobacteria named as PM1, in a closed system with oxygen supply,...

The effect of concentration, molar ratios of reagents, pH, and temperature on formation of chloro-organic products in reaction of tert-butyl ethers with chloride ions and hydrogen peroxide has been determined. A significant effect of Cl(-) ions and H(2)O(2) molar ratios on the rate of chloro-organic product formation has been observed. Studies on oxychlorination of tert-butylethyl ether (ETBE) ...

Cells of Mycobacterium vaccae were grown in toluene, ethanol, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and glycerol, exhibiting different degrees of tolerance towards these compounds, and being able to use both ethanol and glycerol as sole carbon and energy sources. Cellular adaptation to ethanol and MTBE led to significant changes in the membrane fatty acid (FA) composition, by modifications in the prop...