Technology:
Bioremediation
- Global BioSciences, Inc. (GBI) has patented the Butane Biostimulation Technologies™ process, involving injecting butane into a contaminated area using a specially designed delivery system
- In a bench-scale test, MTBE cometabolism was evaluated using Butane-utilizing Bacteria™ suspended in 45 milliliters (ml) of sterile mineral salts medium. The bacteria consisted of groups of cells from the following genera: Pseudomonas, Variovorax, Nocardia, Chryseobacterium, Comamonas, and Micrococcus. Bacteria used for this study were isolated from gasoline-contaminated soil and groundwater.
- Growth was monitored in 120 ml serum bottles under a butane, MTBE, and air mixture (approximate butane:MTBE ratio was 28:1).
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Cleanup Authority:
Not identified
Vendor:
Felix A. Perriello, CHMM, CPSS, CPG
Global BioSciences, Inc.
608 Normandy Drive
Norwood, MA 02062
Telephone: (781) 762-0590
Fax: (781) 762-0590
E-mail: felix@biobutane.com |
Contaminants:
MTBE |
Waste Source:
Not identified |
Type/Quantity of Media Treated:
Soil and Groundwater |
Purpose/Significance of Application:
Bench-scale testing of the Butane Biostimulation TechnologiesTM process to treat MTBE in groundwater |
Regulatory Requirements/Cleanup Goals:
Not identified |
Results:
- Butane consumption rates between 1.5 and 6.0 mg/hr/L were measured for selected consortia using a gas chromatograph equipped with a photoionization detector (GC-PID)
- MTBE concentrations in the headspace were reduced from as high as 10 mg/L (arbitrary concentration used in study) to sub-ppb levels within a 48-hour period, as measured using a GC-PID. Byproducts that were measured included carbon dioxide and dissolved oxygen, although concentrations were not provided in the available materials. - The vendor reported that these data demonstrated the potential for the bioremediation of MTBE using butane as a cometabolic substrate |
Cost Factors:
No cost data were provided |
Description:
GBI's Butane Biostimulation Technologies™ process involves injecting butane into a contaminated area using a specially designed delivery system. According to GBI, the injection system is safe, code compliant, and requires little maintenance and technician oversight. GBI's approach to treating contaminated soil and groundwater relies on the ability of different bacteria to cooxidize chlorinated solvents, BTEX and MTBE, as well as a variety of other environmental pollutants, while growing at the expense of butane. Butane is the most soluble of the gaseous alkanes, having four times the solubility of methane, and more than twice that of propane. Butane injection results in a large radius of influence at injection wellheads and may be used as a barrier technology. To date, data are available only for bench-scale testing of Butane Biostimulation TechnologiesTM for MTBE.
Results of bench-scale testing showed that MTBE concentrations in the headspace were reduced from as high as 10 mg/L to sub-ppb levels within a 48-hour period. Byproducts included carbon dioxide and dissolved oxygen. The vendor reported that these data demonstrated the potential for the bioremediation of MTBE using butane as a cometabolic substrate. GBI has begun a field demonstration using Butane Biostimulation TechnologiesTM to remediate an MTBE plume at a Sun Oil Company facility. Preliminary data from this test site were not available at the time of this report. Five additional full-scale technology applications of Butane Biostimulation TechnologiesTM are planned to be performed in 6 to 18 months at sites contaminated with MTBE and at sites contaminated with chlorinated solvents. No cost data were provided for this process. |
