ENV-97-25 BIOTREATMENT OF MTBE-CONTAMINATED GROUND WATER IN A MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR

Description:

Since the late 1970s methyl /err-butyl ether (MTBE) has been used as an additive to gasoline in the United States to replace lead and other toxic components. It is now produced by more than 29 in the United States, and its production exceeds 24 billion gallons per year, making it second on the list of organic chemicals produced domestically (Reisch, 1994). The widespread use of MTBE has ultimately led to its discharge into the environment where it has become a common groundwater contaminant.(Squillance, et al., 1996).