Two strains, identified as Rhodococcus wratislaviensis IFP 2016 and Rhodococcus aetherivorans IFP 2017, were isolated from a microbial consortium that degraded 15 petroleum compounds or additives when provided in a mixture containing 16 compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, p-xylene, o-xylene, octane, hexadecane, 2,2,4-trimethylpentane [isooctane], cyclohexane, cyclohexanol, naph...

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is widely used as a gasoline additive with toxicity and carcinogenicity, has caused environmental pollution worldwide. Biodegradation promising method for the removal of MTBE from contaminated sites. In this paper, three strains high adaptability different degrading characteristics to were cultured. The kinetic models established systematically simulate biodegrada...

The environmental fate and biological effects of the fuel oxygenate methyl-tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) is of concern because, among other factors, it is highly soluble in water. Thus ground and surface water contamination may occur through accidental exposures and spills. Little is known about the biodegradability and ecotoxicity of MTBE. We found that MTBE added to carbon-limited microbial con...

The current concern over point-source and non-point-source contamination of ground water by methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) has increased the need for a better understanding of the processes that control its environmental fate. As part of an ongoing study to characterize the potential for natural attenuation of MTBE, we have prepared a series of model column aquifers to investigate the pathways ...

Biodegradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) by the hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium Hydrogenophaga flava ENV735 was evaluated. ENV735 grew slowly on MTBE or tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) as sole sources of carbon and energy, but growth on these substrates was greatly enhanced by the addition of a small amount of yeast extract. The addition of H(2) did not enhance or diminish MTBE degradation by the...

The feasibility of phytoremediation of groundwater contamination with methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was examined experimentally using a six-channel soil system with or without plants. Two bacterial strains capable of degrading MTBE were each added to two out of six channels. A solution of 0.84 mM MTBE was continuously fed into each channel at 1 L/day until a stable MTBE concentration level in ...

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is a widespread groundwater contaminant that does not respond well to conventional treatment technologies. Growing evidence indicates that microbial communities indigenous to groundwater can degrade MTBE under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Although pure cultures of microorganisms able to degrade or cometabolize MTBE have been reported, to date the specific org...

The potential for aerobic methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) degradation was investigated with microcosms containing aquifer sediment and groundwater from four MTBE-contaminated sites characterized by oxygen-limited in situ conditions. MTBE depletion was observed for sediments from two sites (e.g., 4.5 mg/liter degraded in 15 days after a 4-day lag period), whereas no consumption of MTBE was observ...

Methylibium petroleiphilum PM1 is a methylotroph distinguished by its ability to completely metabolize the fuel oxygenate methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). Strain PM1 also degrades aromatic (benzene, toluene, and xylene) and straight-chain (C(5) to C(12)) hydrocarbons present in petroleum products. Whole-genome analysis of PM1 revealed an approximately 4-Mb circular chromosome and an approximatel...