Ground and surface waters are increasingly being contaminated with methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) that originates from gasoline spills and releases. While the health effects of MTBE-contaminated water are still being elucidated, it is imperative to remove the MTBE from water before it is used as a drinking water source. Removal of MTBE by traditional methods, granular activated carbon absorption and air stripping, is marginally successful due to the properties of MTBE. And traditional methods only transfer the MTBE from the water to another phase, solid or air. A need exists to destroy the MTBE. Advanced oxidation using Fenton's reagent has been recently found to be effective at mineralizing MTBE. This project measured MTBE concentration with time, as it was undergoing oxidation with Fenton's reagent. Rate constants were found that would allow pilot-scale and full-scale Fenton's oxidation systems to be designed to remove MTBE from water.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Caudill, Kevin

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 02D365M

Advisor

• DiBiasio, David
• Bergendahl, John Andrew

Year

• 2002

Date created

• 2002-01-01

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Chemical Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright