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USE OF MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR FOR BIODEGRADATION OF MTBE IN CONTAMINATED WATER1
Citation:
Morrison, J. R., M. T. Suidan, AND A D. Venosa*. USE OF MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR FOR BIODEGRADATION OF MTBE IN CONTAMINATED WATER1. R. A. Ferrara (ed.), JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING DIVISION, ASCE. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Reston, VA, 128(9):836-841, (2002).
Impact/Purpose:
To assess the application of the membrane biological reactor system for the removal of methyl tert-butyl ether.
Description:
An ultrafiltration membrane bioreactor was evaluated for biodegradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in contaminated water. The system was fed 5 mg/L MTBE in granular activated carbon (GAC) treated Cincinnati tap water containing ample buffer and nutrients. Within 120 days the culture had adapted to membrane operational conditions and was consistently achieving greater than 99.95% biological removal of both MTBE and tert-butyl alcohol. This condition was steadily maintained for the next 200 days of study. Effluent dissolved organic carbon values remained at or below concentrations of the feed GAC treated tap water alone. An increase in biomass concentration as measured by volatile suspended solids was observed to correlate with an increase in MTBE removal efficiency. Some operational observations, including fouling, recovery from an accident, and overall performance, are described.
