Methyl tert-butyl alcohol (MTBE) is a gasoline additive that is also a common groundwater contaminant because of its high water solubility and the tendency of underground storage tanks to leak. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) are gasoline components that commonly co-occur with MTBE at the source of a spill. Biodegradation is an attractive treatment option for MTBE, however, tw...

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...

To manage risk or to implement natural attenuation as a remedy, regulatory agencies must understand the processes that attenuate methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in ground water. Most case studies and laboratory studies in the literature indicate that natural biodegradation is not important; however, recent reports indicate that natural biodegradation of MTBE plays an important role under certain...

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) has been used in many countries as an octaneenhancing replacement for lead, primarily in midand high-grade gasoline. The prevalent use of MTBE has led to its introduction into environment. MTBE is poorly adsorbed, biologically and chemically stable, making it very persistent in the environment. MTBE has been classified as a possible human carcinogen. Many studies ...

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 massive production of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), a primary constituent of reformulated gasoline, combined with its mobility, persistence and toxicity, makes it an important pollutant. It was considered recalcitrant until a few years ago, but recently MTBE biodegradation in aerobic conditions has been demonstrated with both mixed and pure cultures. Mixed cultures are generally the more ...

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 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...

methyl tert-butyl ether (mtbe), a gasoline octane enhancer, was introduced as a substitute for lead tetraethyl over 30 years ago. widespread use of mtbe in gasoline, has introduced mtbe into the environment compartments, mostly into the under ground and surface water and water as a second most frequently detected contaminant. in this study, we have isolated pure cultures from bacterial consorti...