Study of an aquifer contaminated by ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE): Site characterization and on-site bioremediation

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 201; no. 30; pp. 236 - 243
• Main Authors: Fayolle-Guichard, Françoise, Durand, Jonathan, Cheucle, Mathilde, Rosell, Mònica, Michelland, Rory Julien, Tracol, Jean-Philippe, Le Roux, Françoise, Grundman, Geneviève, Atteia, Olivier, Richnow, Hans H., Dumestre, Alain, Benoit, Yves
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 30.01.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: aquifers; Bioaugmentation; Biodegradation; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biodiversity and Ecology; bioremediation; Biotechnology; BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene); Burkholderia - enzymology; Burkholderia - growth & development; carbon; Carbon isotopic fractionation; Computer Science; cytochrome P-450; Degradation; DNA; Environmental Sciences; enzymes; ethB gene; Ethers; Ethyl Ethers - isolation & purification; Ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE); Fractionation; France; Gasoline; Genes; Groundwater; Groundwater - chemistry; Groundwater - microbiology; hydrogen; isotope fractionation; Life Sciences; microorganisms; Pilot plants; quantitative polymerase chain reaction; Quantitative real-time PCR (q-PCR); Rhodococcus; Rhodococcus - enzymology; Rhodococcus - growth & development; Rhodococcus aetherovorans; Rhodococcus wratislaviensis; Toxicology; Water Movements; Water Pollutants, Chemical - isolation & purification; Water Purification - methods; France; Carbon isotopic fractionation; Groundwater; Bioaugmentation; Quantitative real-time PCR (q-PCR); Ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE); ethB gene
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2011.11.074

► Ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) (>300 mg L −1) found in a groundwater (gas-station). ► No significant carbon or hydrogen isotopic fractionation of ETBE along the plume. ► MC-IFP culture degraded ETBE (0.91 mg L −1 h −1) and BTEX (0.64 mg L −1 h −1). ► A pilot plant (2 m 3) inoculated with MC-IFP degraded ETBE in groundwater (15 °C). ► ethB gene (ETBE biodegradation) amplified during bioaugmentation (5 × 10 6 ethB gene copies L −1). Ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) was detected at high concentration (300 mg L −1) in the groundwater below a gas-station. No significant carbon neither hydrogen isotopic fractionation of ETBE was detected along the plume. ETBE and BTEX biodegradation capacities of the indigenous microflora Pz1-ETBE and of a culture (MC-IFP) composed of Rhodococcus wratislaviensis IFP 2016, Rhodococcus aetherivorans IFP 2017 and Aquincola tertiaricarbonis IFP 2003 showed that ETBE and BTEX degradation rates were in the same range (ETBE: 0.91 and 0.83 mg L −1 h −1 and BTEX: 0.64 and 0.82 mg L −1 h −1, respectively) but tert-butanol (TBA) accumulated transiently at a high level using Pz1-ETBE (74 mg L −1). An on-site pilot plant (2 m 3) filled with polluted groundwater and inoculated by MC-IFP, successfully degraded four successive additions of ETBE and gasoline. However, an insignificant ETBE isotopic fractionation was also accompanying this decrease which suggested the involvement of low fractionating-strains using EthB enzymes, but required of additional proofs. The ethB gene encoding a cytochrome P450 involved in ETBE biodegradation (present in R. aetherivorans IFP 2017) was monitored by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) on DNA extracted from water sampled in the pilot plant which yield up to 5 × 10 6 copies of ethB gene per L −1.