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IMPACT OF ETHANOL ON BENZENE MIGRATION
Citation:
Shen, H., S C. Mravik*, J T. Wilson*, AND G W. Sewell*. IMPACT OF ETHANOL ON BENZENE MIGRATION. 6th Intl. In-Situ & On-Site Bioremediation Symp, San Diego, CA, 06/04-07/2001.
Description:
The use of ethanol as a fuel oxygenate is expected to expand rapidly due to MTBE contamination in ground water. It is essential to understand the potential impact of ethanol-blended gasoline releases to ground water quality. The presence of ethanol is likely to impact the length and persistence of a benzene plume. Calculations using available field and laboratory data show that ethanol biodegradation rate constants varied from 0.045 to 34 mg L-1 d-1. Depending on the ethanol biodegradation rate constants, it is estimated that a benzene plume in the subsurface could expand from unapparent to a very large extent in the presence of ethanol compared to cases without ethanol. The results may serve as both upper and lower bounds in evaluating the impact of ethanol on benzene migration.