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Biodegradability of Oxygenates by Microflora from MTBE-Contaminated Sites: New Molecular Tools

  • Chapter
Fuel Oxygenates

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC5))

Abstract

Ethers, such as methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) are added to gasoline to enhance the octane index and to improve the air emission quality. MTBE, especially, has been found in several aquifers as a contaminant after accidental releases of ether-supplemented gasoline. The presence of these ethers in groundwater is considered to be the consequence of their persistence in the environment, due to their high water solubility and poor biodegradability. Herein, we will summarize the results of studies that have been carried out to investigate the actual capacity of indigenous microflora sampled from a variety of contaminated sites under different conditions (oxic and anoxic), and present the results of a survey to evaluate both the biodegradation capacity of ethers and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) and the presence of catabolic genes that have been shown to be involved in fuel-ether degradation pathways. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between the indigenous biodegradation capacity and the presence of these specific genes, so as to provide a basis for the use of genetic tools, such as microarrays, for the management of this environmental issue.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Council of Canada, Royalmount Avenue, 6100, Montréal, Québec, Canada

    Aurélie Babé, Diane Labbé & Charles W. Greer

  2. Institut Français du Pétrole, 1-4, avenue de Bois-Préau, 92852, Rueil-Malmaison, France

    Aurélie Babé, Frédéric Monot & Françoise Fayolle-Guichard

Authors
  1. Aurélie Babé
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  2. Diane Labbé
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  3. Frédéric Monot
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  4. Charles W. Greer
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  5. Françoise Fayolle-Guichard
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Environmental Chemistry, IIQAB-CSIC, JordiGirona, 18–26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Damià Barceló

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© 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Babé, A., Labbé, D., Monot, F., Greer, C., Fayolle-Guichard, F. (2007). Biodegradability of Oxygenates by Microflora from MTBE-Contaminated Sites: New Molecular Tools. In: Barceló, D. (eds) Fuel Oxygenates. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-72641-8_4

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