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BIODEGRADATION - MONITORED NATURAL ATTENUATION (MNA) FOR OXYGENATES: HOW IT EVOLVED, WHY IT OCCURS AND STABLE ISOTOPES
Citation:
WILSON, J. T. BIODEGRADATION - MONITORED NATURAL ATTENUATION (MNA) FOR OXYGENATES: HOW IT EVOLVED, WHY IT OCCURS AND STABLE ISOTOPES. Presented at New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, Westford, MA, November 02 - 03, 2006.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
The organisms that degrade MtBE under anaerobic conditions are evolved to acquire energy for growth by using molecular hydrogen and carbonate ion to cleave methyl ether bonds. Methyl ether bonds are common in nature and the bond also occurs in MTBE. MTBE in contaminated ground water will be degraded under anaerobic conditions if adequate concentrations of molecular hydrogen are available, usually from the methane fermentation of BTEX compounds. Anaerobic biodegradation of MtBE produces strong fractionation of stable carbon isotopes. This makes it possible to estimate the extent of biodegradation of MTBE from the shift in the ratio of 13C to 12C in MtBE in the contaminated ground water.