Enhancement of the Biodegradability of Methyl tert- Butyl Ether (MTBE) by Advanced Oxidation

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Prof.,Department of Health, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences

2 Prof., Center for Environmental Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences

3 Assistant Prof., Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran

4 Assistant Prof., Department of Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

The effectiveness of ozone treatment for improving the biodegradability of recalcitrant pollutants has been proved by investigating the ozonation reaction of Methyl tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE) as a bioresistant gasoline oxygenate. Laboratory scale experiments have been carried out at room temperature by bubbling for 120 minutes ozonated air (3.4 ppm/min) into 3 liter of an alkaline (pH=11.5) aqueous solution (100 mg/L) of MTBE. The experimental results indicated that during the ozonation, complete MTBE degradation occurs in 100 minutes and after this time, ozone consumption goes on very slowly. At the end of the ozonation, after 100 minutes, the initial value of COD (256 mg O2/L) is 98 and corresponds to a relative removal of about 62%. As for MTBE solution biodegradability expressed as (BOD5) / (COD) ratio, during the first 90 minutes, its value regularly increases from lowest 0.01 up to a maximum of 0.68 that corresponds to an ozone consumption of 1.25 mg per each mg of COD initially present in the solution. The research showed that partial degradation of MTBE in the advanced oxidation processes results an increase in its biological degradation. But more oxidation results lower  (BOD5) / (COD) ratio. Also the research showed that for idealization of the chemical oxidation conditions of MTBE, it needs to decrease COD to 46-68% before the biological degradation. The experimental results for determining the rate of MTBE removal due to stripping showed that about 14% of MTBE strips out after an hour of sparging with oxygen gas. The fraction of MTBE oxidized and/or striped increases to about 28% (in pH=7) and 70% (in pH=11.5) with ozonation over the same time period.

Keywords

References

1- Michael, H.(1999). ،Final report: Aerobic cometabolism of ether-bonded compounds, Banner for
US EPA, National Center for Environmental Research (NCER).
2- Junzo, S., Keiko, H., and Shizuo, S. (1978).، “Effect of ozone treatment upon biodegradability of water and wastewater-soluble polymers.”J. Environ. Sci. Technol., 11,1180-1184.
3- Safari, A. (2001). “O3 / H2O2 treatment of Methyl-tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE) in contaminated water.”
J. Water Research, 35, 3706-3714.
4- Clinton, D.C., Lorne, M.I., James, F.P., Donna, L.R., and Paul, G.T.  (1997). “Method for determination of Methyl tert-Butyl Ether and its degradation products in water.” J. Environ. Sci. Technol., 31, 3723-3726.
5- Christine, A., Axel, K., and Wilhelm, P. (2002). “Methyl tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE) in river and wastewater in Germany.” J. Environ. Sci. Technol., 36, 3652-3661.
6- Boughton, C.J., and Lico, M.S. (1998). Volatile organic compounds in Lake Tahoe, Nevada and California, Fact Sheet FS-055-98, US Geological Survey.
7- Delzer, G.C., Zogorski, J.S., Lopes, T.J., and Bosshart, R.L. (1996). Occurrence of the gasoline oxygenate MTBE and BTEX compounds in urban storm water in the United States, Water Resources Investigation Report, US Geological Survey, 4145.
8- Clawges, R., Zogorski, J., and Bender, D. (2000). “Key MTBE findings based on National Water Quality Monitoring.” US Geological Survey, <http://www.sd.cr.usgs.gov/naqua/vocns/>
9- Contreras, S., Rodriguez, M., Almomani, F., Sans, C., and Esplugas, S. (2003). “Contribution of the ozonation pre-treatment to the biodegradation of aqueous 2,4- dichlorophenol.” J. Water Research, 37, 3164-3171.
10- Adams, C.D., Cozzens, R.A., and Kim, B.J. (1997). “Effects of ozonation on the biodegradability of substituted phenols.” J. Water Research, 31, 2655-2663.
11- Hui-Ming, H., Joon-Wun, K., and Michael, R.H. (2002). “The sonolytic destruction of Methyl tert-Butyl Ether present in contaminated groundwater.” J. Water Environment Research, 74 (6), 1735-1742.
12- Chamarro, E., Marco, A. and Esplugas, S. (2001).“Use of Fenton reagent to improve organic chemical biodegradability.” J. Water Research, 35, 1047-1051.
13- Gilbert, E.(1987). “Biodegradability of ozonation products as a function of COD and DOC elimination by example of substituted aromatic substances .” J. Water Research, 21, 1273-1278.
14- Marco, A., Esplugas, S., and Saum, G. (1997). “How and why to combine chemical and biological processes for wastewater treatment.” J. Water Sci. Technol., 35, 321-327.
15- Langlais, B., Reckhow, D.A., and Brink, D.R.(1991). Ozone in water treatment: Application and engineering, Chelsea: Lewis Publishers.
16- Scott, J.P., and Oills, D.F. (1995). “Integration of chemical and biological oxidation processes for water treatment: Review and recommendations.” J. Environmental Progress, 14, 88-103.
17- Beltran, F.J., Encinar, J.M., and Alonso, M.A. (1998). “Nitroaromatic hydrocarbon ozonation in water 1 single ozonation.” J. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 37, 25-31.
18- Contreras, S., Rodriguez, M., Chamarro, E., Esplugas, S., and Casado, J. (2001). “Oxidation of nitrobenzene by O3 / UV: The influence of H2O2 and Fe(III) experiences in a pilot plant.” J. Water Sci. Technol., 44, 39-46.
19- Beltran, F.J., Garcia-Araya, J.F., and Alvarez, P.M. (2000). “Continuous flow integrated chemical (ozone)-activated sludge system treating combined agroindustrial-domestic wastewater.” J. Environmental Progress, 19, 28-35.
20- Beltran, F.J., Garcia-Araya, J.F., Frades, J., Alvares, P., and Gimeno, O. (1999). “Effects of single and combined ozonation with hydrogen peroxide or UV radiation on the chemical degradation and biodegradability of debittering table olive industrial wastewater.” J. Water Research, 33, 723-732.
21- Ledakowiez, S.(1998). “Integrated processes of chemical and biological oxidation of wastewaters.” J. Environmental Protect Engineering, 24, 35-47.
22- Adams, C.D., Spitzer, S., and Cowan, R.M. (1996). “Biodegradation of nonionic surfactants and effects of oxidative pretreatment.” J. Environ. Eng., 122, 477-483.
23- Sarria, V., Parra, S., Invernizzi, M., Peringer, P., and Pulgarin, C. (2001). “Photochemical-biological treatment of a real industrial biorecalcitrant wastewater containing 5-amino-6-methyl-2-benzimidazolone.” J. Water Sci. Technol., 44, 93-103.
24- Greenberg, A.E., Clesceri, L.S., and Eaton, A.D. (1992). Standard methods for examination of water and wastewater, in Chapter 2, Page 41, in Chapter 5, Page 10, 18th Ed., American Public Health Association, USA.
25- صادقی، م.، مصداقی نیا، ع.، بادکوبی، ا.، نبی زاده، ر.، و سلیمانیان، ا.(1383). ”کارآیی اکسیداسیون پیشرفته و فن آوری هیدروکسیل در تجزیه متیل ترشیری- بوتیل اتر(MTBE). “م. دانشگاه علوم پزشکی شهرکرد، 6 (4)، 19-24.
Journal of Water and Wastewater; Ab va Fazilab ( in persian )
Volume 17, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
Serial number: 58
June 2006
Pages 54-61

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics