Treatability of Alternative Fuel Oxygenates Using Advanced Oxidation, Air Stripping and Carbon Adsorption

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/H2O2 and O3/H2O2 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.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Sponsor(s)

Missouri. Department of Natural Resources

Keywords and Phrases

Adsorption; Air Stripping; Carbon; Ground-Water Pollution; Oxidation

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0733-9372

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2005 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2005

Link to Full Text

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