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ORC TECHNICAL BULLETIN # 5-b.0 <br /> Oxygen Release Compound, ORCO <br /> Potential for the Bioremediation of <br /> Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) <br /> The Problem: <br /> The gasoline oxygenate, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), presents a serious <br /> complication in the remediation and closure of properties contaminated with fuel <br /> hydrocarbons. There are several contributing factors including the following: <br /> 1. MTBE degrades very slowly under aerobic conditions; <br /> 2. MTBE is not recognized as being degradable under anaerobic <br /> conditions Occasionally, attenuation is observed under anaerobic <br /> conditions which may be due to other factors, <br /> 3. MTBE is highly soluble and does not retard on the aquifer matrix like <br /> BTEX. The compound is therefore susceptible to rapid and pervasive <br /> spreading in ground water. It will also penetrate to ground water at a <br /> very rapid rate relative to BTEX, <br /> 4. The toxicity and carcinogenicity of MTBE have not been established; <br /> 5. Taste and odor thresholds for MTBE are very low, <br /> 6. Although MTBE is extremely volatile, when dissolved in water it is <br /> difficult to strip which complicates sparging and pumping options In <br /> the latter case pumped water may have to be treated in bioreactors. <br /> Just when a coherent and manageable protocol for BTEX remediation is being <br /> formed by consultants and regulators (Risk Based Corrective Action - RBCA), the <br /> MTBE "wild card" has threatened to change the tenor of the issue In the words of <br /> one national clean-up manager for a major oil company, "We have come so far in <br /> managing thousands of our sites and now I feel like I'm back to square one with the <br /> . MTBE problem." <br /> 4/8197 <br /> 1 <br />