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ETHANOL: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND RESEARCH (ROCKY GAP, MD)
Citation:
WILSON, J. T. ETHANOL: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND RESEARCH (ROCKY GAP, MD). Presented at EPA Region 3 States LUST Technical Conference, Rocky Gap, MD, November 03 - 05, 2004.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
Based on mathematical modeling, ethanol present in gasoline when gasoline is spilled to ground water is expected to cause the plume of benzene and other BTEX compounds to be longer than they would be other wise. Microbial metabolism of ethanol consumes sulfate, nitrate, and oxygen which otherwise would be used to metabolize the BTEX compounds. These expectations were confirmed in a field scale experiment conducted at Vandenberg AFB. In addition to the effect on the plume length of BTEX compounds, the ethanol also promoted natural biodegradation of MTBE to TBA. Survey data indicate the benzene plumes in the mid-continent USA are on average 36% longer if ethanol is part of the gasoline that is spilled.