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MTBE OXIDATION BY BIFUNCTIONAL ALUMINUM
Citation:
Lien, H. AND R T. Wilkin*. MTBE OXIDATION BY BIFUNCTIONAL ALUMINUM. Presented at Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds: 3rd Int'l Conference, Monterey, CA, May 20-23, 2002.
Description:
Bifunctional aluminum, prepared by sulfating zero-valent aluminum with sulfuric acid, has a dual functionality of simultaneously decomposing both reductively- and oxidatively-degradable contaminants. In this work, the use of bifunctional aluminum for the degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) to tert-butyl alcohol, tert-butyl formate, acetone and methyl acetate has been examined in the presence of dioxygen (02) using batch experiments. Bifunctional aluminum is capable of utilizing dioxygen through a reductive activation process to degrade MTBE at ambient temperature and pressure where MTBE is extremely stable. The reductive activation of dioxygen is a new treatment concept for oxygenates. Results indicate that aluminum serves as a reductant to activate dioxygen while sulfate species generated by the sulfation of aluminum at the metal surface are considered to act as active sites. Bifunctional aluminum offers new opportunities for both in-situ (e.g., permeable reactive barriers) and ex-situ remediation of ground water contaminated with gasoline oxygenates.