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Schirmer, Mario

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Schirmer, Mario
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Ancien.ne collaborateur.trice
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https://libra.unine.ch/handle/123456789/163

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  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Laboratory evidence of MTBE biodegradation in Borden aquifer material
    (2003)
    Schirmer, Mario 
    ;
    Butler, Barbara J
    ;
    Church, Clinton D
    ;
    Barker, James F
    ;
    Nadarajah, Nalina
    Mainly due to intrinsic biodegradation, monitored natural attenuation can be an effective and inexpensive remediation strategy at petroleum release sites. However, gasoline additives such as methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) can jeopardize this strategy because these compounds often degrade, if at all, at a slower rate than the collectively benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylene (BTEX) compounds. Investigation of whether a compound degrades under certain conditions, and at what rate, is therefore important to the assessment of the intrinsic remediation potential of aquifers. A natural gradient experiment with dissolved MTBE-containing gasoline in the shallow, aerobic sand aquifer at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Borden (Ontario, Canada) from 1988 to 1996 suggested that biodegradation was the main cause of attenuation for MTBE within the aquifer. This laboratory study demonstrates biologically catalyzed MTBE degradation in Borden aquifer-like environments, and so supports the idea that attenuation due to biodegradation may have occurred in the natural gradient experiment. In an experiment with batch microcosms of aquifer material, three of the microcosms ultimately degraded MTBE to below detection, although this required more than 189 days (or >300 days in one case). Failure to detect the daughter product tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) in the field and the batch experiments could be because TBA was more readily degradable than MTBE under Borden conditions. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Modeling the impact of ethanol on the persistence of benzene in gasoline-contaminated groundwater
    (2002)
    Molson, John W
    ;
    Barker, James F
    ;
    Frind, Emil O
    ;
    Schirmer, Mario 
    [1] The effect of ethanol on the persistence of benzene in gasoline-contaminated aquifers is simulated using a multicomponent reactive transport model. The conceptual model includes a residual gasoline source which is dissolving at the water table into an aquifer containing a limited amount of dissolved oxygen. The coupled processes include nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) source dissolution, transport of the dissolved components, and competitive aerobic biodegradation. Comparisons are made between dissolved benzene plumes from a gasoline spill and those from an otherwise equivalent spill containing 10% ethanol (gasohol). Simulations have shown that under some conditions a 10% ethanol component in gasoline can extend the travel distance of a benzene plume by up to 150% relative to that from an equivalent ethanol-free gasoline spill. The increase occurs because ethanol preferentially consumes oxygen, which reduces the biodegradation rate of benzene. The impact is limited, however, because sufficient oxygen disperses behind the ethanol plume into the slightly retarded benzene plume. A sensitivity analysis for two common spill scenarios showed that background oxygen concentrations and benzene retardation have the most significant influence on ethanol-induced benzene persistence. The results are highly relevant in light of the increasing use of ethanol-enhanced fuels throughout the world and the forthcoming ban of methyl tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE) in California and its probable replacement by ethanol by the end of 2002.