title: Biodegradation of methyl tert-butyl ether as a sole carbon source by aerobic granules cultivated in a sequencing batch reactor.
abstract: Aerobic granules efficient at degrading methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) were successfully developed in a well-mixed sequencing batch reactor (SBR). Treatment efficiency of MTBE in the reactor during the stable operations exceeded 99.8%, and effluent MTBE was consistently below 800 microg/L. The specific MTBE degradation rate was observed to increase with increasing MTBE initial concentrations from 25 to 400 mg/L, peaked at 18.2 mg-MTBE/g-VSS h, and declined with further increases in MTBE concentration as substrate inhibition effects became significant. There was a good fit between these biodegradation data and the Haldane equation (R (2) = 0.976). Microbial community DNA profiling was carried out using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of polymerase chain reaction amplified 16S rDNA. The aerobic granule was found to contain a wide diversity of microorganisms. More than 70% similarity among the samples in the time period examined indicated a highly stable microbial community as the reactor reached the stable operation.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Zhaohui, Hangzhou, China. llzhang@zjut.edu.cn
authors.forename: Li-Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: R Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004867:Equipment Design; D005285:Fermentation; D007700:Kinetics; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000737:chemistry; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D008738:Methyl Ethers; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C043243:methyl tert-butyl ether; D002244:Carbon; D004247:DNA