Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1002/elsc.200520144 |
| Title (Primary) | Cometabolic degradation of MTBE using methane-propane- and butane-utilizing enrichment cultures and Rhodococcus sp. BU3 |
| Author | Haase, K.; Wendlandt, K.-D.; Gräber, A.; Stottmeister, U. |
| Source Titel | Engineering in Life Sciences |
| Year | 2006 |
| Department | UBT; UBT_alt |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Page From | 508 |
| Page To | 513 |
| Language | englisch |
| Abstract | The fuel oxygenated methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is used worldwide to replace leaded organic compounds. Although MTBE is persistent in the environment, chiefly due to its low biodegradability, some microbial cultures are able to mineralize it. This paper reports on the cometabolic degradation of MTBE by methane-, propane- and butane-utilizing enrichment cultures and the pure Rhodococcus sp. BU3 culture isolated from natural habitats. Three methane-, three propane- and four butane-utilizing cultures, which degrade MTBE cometabolically, were enriched. In experiments with resting cells at 20 °C, enrichment cultures grown on methane degraded MTBE at a maximum rate of 1.0 mg MTBE/(g biomass · h). Propane- and butane-utilizing enrichment cultures degraded MTBE and the intermediate tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) cometabolically at temperatures of 20 °C at maximum rates of 7.2 mg MTBE/(g biomass · h) and 5.2 mg MTBE/(g biomass · h), respectively. Propane-utilizing cultures were also able to degrade MTBE and TBA consecutively after growth on 1-propanol. However, the MTBE degradation rate after growth on 1-propanol was lower than on propane. The isolated pure culture BU3 specified as Rhodococcus sp. degraded MTBE at maximum rates of 5.4 mg MTBE/(g biomass · h) when grown on propane and 2.3 mg MTBE/(g biomass · h) when grown on 1-propanol, respectively. In column systems with recirculation, it is shown that Rhodococcus sp. BU3 degraded 95 mg/L MTBE over a time period of 6 days. The degradation activity of the immobilized bacteria could be regenerated by the addition of growth substrates (propanol or propane). The results of these experiments provide a promising basis for their implementation in an enhanced natural attenuation approach. |
| Persistent UFZ Identifier | https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=2678 |
| Haase, K., Wendlandt, K.-D., Gräber, A., Stottmeister, U. (2006): Cometabolic degradation of MTBE using methane-propane- and butane-utilizing enrichment cultures and Rhodococcus sp. BU3 Eng. Life Sci. 6 (5), 508 - 513 10.1002/elsc.200520144 |
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