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Treatment Of Groundwater Contaminated With PAHs, Gasoline Hydrocarbons, And Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether In A Laboratory Biomass-Retaining Bioreactor
Citation:
Zein, M. M., Pinto P. X., S. Garcia-Blanco, M. T. Suidan, AND A. D. VENOSA. Treatment Of Groundwater Contaminated With PAHs, Gasoline Hydrocarbons, And Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether In A Laboratory Biomass-Retaining Bioreactor. R.L. Crawford (ed.), BIODEGRADATION. Springer Netherlands, , Netherlands, 17(1):57-69, (2006).
Impact/Purpose:
To investigate the treatability of co-mingled groundwater contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), gasoline hydrocarbons, and methyl tert-butyl ether (MtBE) using an ex-situ aerobic biotreatment system.
Description:
In this study, we investigated the treatability of co-mingled groundwater contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), gasoline hydrocarbons, and methyl tert-butyl ether (MtBE) using an ex-situ aerobic biotreatment system. The PAHs of interest were naphthalene, methyl-naphthalene, acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, and carbazole. The gasoline hydrocarbons included benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and p-xylene (BTEX). Two porous pot reactors were operated for a period of 10 months under the same influent contaminant concentrations. The contaminated groundwater was introduced into the reactors at a flow rate of 4 and 9 l/day, resulting in a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 32 and 15 h, respectively. In both reactors, high removal efficiencies were achieved for the PAHs (>99 %), BTEX and MtBE (>99.7 %). All the PAHs of interest and the four BTEX compounds were detected at concentrations less than 1 µg/l throughout the study duration. Effluent MtBE from both reactors was observed at higher levels; nevertheless, its concentration was lower than the 5 µg/l Drinking Water Advisory for MtBE implemented in California.
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Treatment Of Groundwater Contaminated With PAHs, Gasoline Hydrocarbons, And Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether In A Laboratory Biomass-Retaining Bioreactor