MTBE REMOVAL FROM AN ITALIAN NATIONAL INTEREST SITE BY BIOLOGICAL PROCESS AND AOP

BTEX, MTBE, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons can be common groundwater contaminants in areas where petrochemical activities have been carried out. Third generation aerobic microcosms, originally started with a contaminated area subsoil, were obtained that showed a remarkable degradation activity for MTBE: MTBE degradation was in the range 15-23 mg MTBE g-1 VSS h-1 (12-30 mg/L MTBE initial concentration), with residual MTBE lower than 10 µg/L. An UV/H2O2 AOP was similarly effective, that allowed high organic contaminants removal (MTBE residual concentration below 10 µg/L) according to the Italian law limits. Both processes, biological aerobic with nutrients addition and pump-and-treat with UV/H2O2 reactor, can find application at the investigated contaminated site.