REMEDIATION OF MTBE CONTAMINATED AQUIFERS BY BIOLOGICAL PROCESS

BTEX and MTBE are common groundwater contaminants in areas where petrochemical activities have been carried out. A series of microcosms, inoculated with a contaminated area soil, has been prepared in different conditions: aerobiosis, anaerobiosis, nutrients (N and P) presence, and additional carbon sources, and monitored for 190 days. The aerobic microcosms with nutrients developed in three months time, a remarkable degradation activity, either for BTEX and MTBE (this latter a compound whose biodegradability is still quite controversial). In particular the MTBE concentration decreased in 3 months from 2.5 mg/l to 10 ug/L.