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ENRICHMENT OF STABLE CARBON AND HYDROGEN ISOTOPES DURING ANAEROBIC BIODEGRADATION OF MTBE-MICROCOSM AND FIELD EVIDENCE
Citation:
Kuder, T., J T. Wilson*, P. M. Kaiser*, R. Kolhatkar, P. Philp, AND J. Allen. ENRICHMENT OF STABLE CARBON AND HYDROGEN ISOTOPES DURING ANAEROBIC BIODEGRADATION OF MTBE-MICROCOSM AND FIELD EVIDENCE. DOI 10/1021/es040420, J. Schnoor (ed.), ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 39(1):213-220, (2005).
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Description:
The conventional approach to evaluate biodegradation of organic contaminants in ground water is to demonstrate an increase in the concentration of transformation products. This approach is problematic for MTBE from gasoline spills because the primary transformation product (TBA) can also be a component of gasoline. Compound-specific stable isotope analysis may provide a useful alternative to conventional practice. Changes in the 13C and D of MTBE during biodegradation of MTBE in an anaerobic enrichment culture were compared to the 13C and D of MTBE in ground water at nine gasoline spill-sites. The stable isotopes of hydrogen and carbon were extensively fractionated during anaerobic biodegradation of MTBE. The stable isotope enrichment factor ( ) for carbon in the enrichment cultures was -12.45 (-13.87 to -11.04 at 95 % confidence level) and the hydrogen enrichment factor was -26.75 (-36.37 to -17.13 at 95 % confidence level). The ratio of H to C is consistent between the enrichment culture and the field site that provided the inoculum, and with the other eight sites, suggesting a common degradation pathway. The isotope enrichment factors ( ) for carbon and hydrogen during anaerobic biodegradation indicate that the first reaction is enzymatic hydrolysis of the O-Cmethyl bond.
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ENRICHMENT OF STABLE CARBON AND HYDROGEN ISOTOPES DURING ANAEROBIC BIODEGRADATION OF MTBE-MICROCOSM AND FIELD EVIDENCE