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AIR STRIPPING AND OFF-GAS ADSORPTION FOR THE REMOVAL OF MTBE FROM DRINKING WATER
Citation:
Ramakrishnan, B., G. A. Sorial, T F. Speth*, P. Clark*, D. W. Hand, AND C Patterson*. AIR STRIPPING AND OFF-GAS ADSORPTION FOR THE REMOVAL OF MTBE FROM DRINKING WATER. 2002 AiChE Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN, 11/3-8/2002.
Description:
Methyl-tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is a synthetic organic chemical, primarily used for oxgenating fuel. The 1990 Federal Clean Air Act Amendments mandated the use of fuel oxgenates in areas where air quality did not meet national standards, which led to widespread use of MTBE in gasoline. Although MTBE has helped in significantly reducing emissions, it has also contaminated water supplies through accidental gasoline releases, leaking gasoline pipelines, and leaking underground storage tanks. MTBE is highly soluble in water and also has a very low Henry's constant (OSTP Report 1997), which makes it difficult ro remove from water. The objectives of this research were (1) to evaluate MTBE removal by the combined treatment technologies of air stripping followed by treatment of the off-gas using adsorption, (2) to study the performance of the air-stripper under different air-to-water ratios and (3) to evaluate the off-gas MTBE adsorptive capacity of two different adsorbents (GAC and Resin).