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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2001, p. 2197-2201, Vol. 67, No. 5
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.5.2197-2201.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Kinetics of Methyl t-Butyl Ether Cometabolism at Low Concentrations by Pure Cultures of Butane-Degrading Bacteria

Catherine Y. Liu,1 Gerald E. Speitel Jr.,1,* and George Georgiou2

Department of Civil Engineering1 and Department of Chemical Engineering,2 University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas

Received 8 August 2000/Accepted 5 March 2001

Butane-oxidizing Arthrobacter (ATCC 27778) bacteria were shown to degrade low concentrations of methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE; range, 100 to 800 µg/liter) with an apparent half-saturation concentration (Ks) of 2.14 mg/liter and a maximum substrate utilization rate (kc) of 0.43 mg/mg of total suspended solids per day. Arthrobacter bacteria demonstrated MTBE degradation activity when grown on butane but not when grown on glucose, butanol, or tryptose phosphate broth. The presence of butane, tert-butyl alcohol, or acetylene had a negative impact on the MTBE degradation rate. Neither Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b nor Streptomyces griseus was able to cometabolize MTBE.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: University of Texas at Austin, ECJ 8.6, Austin, TX 78712-1076. Phone: (512) 471-4996. Fax: (512) 471-5870. E-mail: speitel{at}mail.utexas.edu.


Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2001, p. 2197-2201, Vol. 67, No. 5
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.5.2197-2201.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



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