Treatability of Alternative Fuel Oxygenates Using Advanced Oxidation, Air Stripping, and Carbon Adsorption
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 131, Issue 4
Abstract
Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is a gasoline oxygenate that has become a significant threat to groundwater supplies across the United States. Due to its physiochemical properties it has proven difficult and costly to remove from contaminated sites. This study was conducted to determine whether the alternative oxygenates (AO)—diisopropyl ether (DIPE), ethyltert-butyl ether (ETBE), tert-amyl methyl ether (TAME), tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), and ethanol (EtOH)—present a more efficient and less costly option from a remediation standpoint. Air stripping, carbon adsorption, and ultraviolet/ and advanced oxidation processes were examined at pilot scale to develop design parameters from which technical and economic comparisons were made for each alternative oxygenate versus MTBE. The experimental results showed that the ether AOs—DIPE, TAME, and ETBE—were each more efficiently and more economically treated than MTBE. The alternative alcohol oxygenates—TBA and EtOH—were less efficiently and less economically treated by the processes studied. The paper details the effects of primary process parameters and properties of individual oxygenates on process efficiency.
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Acknowledgments
Funding for this project was made available by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) (Jefferson City, Mo.) and the Missouri Petroleum Storage Insurance Fund (MPSTIF) (Jefferson City, Mo.). The writers would like to thank those who provided invaluable assistance in designing and conducting this research [Jerry Lane (MDNR), Terry Timmons (MDNR), David Pate (MPSTIF), and Carol Eighmey (MPSTIF)], with the construction of the mobile treatment systems (Jeff Bradshaw, Steve Gabel, Bill Frederickson, and Gary Abbott), and with water analysis (Allison Ludlow and Valerie Metroff). Dr. Justin Sutherland is currently an Environmental Research Engineer with Carollo Engineers in Fountain Valley, Calif.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 131 • Issue 4 • April 2005
Pages: 623 - 631
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 15, 2003
Accepted: Jun 28, 2004
Published online: Apr 1, 2005
Published in print: Apr 2005
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