Biological Treatment Systems

Groundwater contaminated with methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and/or tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA), one of the byproducts of MTBE decomposition, has serious taste and odor problems. Because of their high water solubility, low Henry's law constants, and poor adsorption coefficients onto carbon and soil, MTBE and TBA are difficult to remove from water using conventional methods, such as stripping or adsorption on activated carbon.

To solve these problems, ERI has developed a trickling bed biological reactor (attached growth) and fine-media fluidized bed biological reactor inoculated with a mixed microbial culture known to degrade MTBE, TBA, and other oxygenates. The reactors are specifically designed to produce and stabilize oxidizing bacteria under mixed culture conditions. The reactors can be used to treat other contaminants simply by inoculating them with the biological degrader specific to the target compounds.

ERI currently manufactures for sale or lease and is operating the following equipment for the treatment of MTBE and TBA:

ERI-4000 Fluidized Bed Reactor

• 6-foot by 10-foot skid with bioreactor and media, recirculation pump, flow switch, and auto dialer.
• Empty weight 3,800 pounds.
• Designed to metabolize 1.3 pounds per day of MTBE and TBA.
• Capable of producing an effluent consistently <10 parts per billion (ppb) MTBE and TBA as long as gallons per minute (gpm) times the concentration does not exceed 110,000 ppb.
• Capable of metabolizing up to 3.0 pounds per day of MTBE and TBA with oxygen booster and increasing gpm times concentration (ppb) limit to 250,000.

ERI-100 Trickling Bed Bioreactor (Attached Growth)

• Each reactor is 0.4 meter (m) in diameter packed to a depth of 2.0 m and includes media and initial inoculation.
• Optimum flow rate is approximately 1 gpm per reactor.
• Reactors may be run in series or parallel.
• Capable of 80 to 90% removals in parallel operation and greater in series operation.

ERI, in conjunction with the University of California at Davis, has also developed and is operating vapor-phase and liquid-phase biofilters for treatment of waste streams from site remediation activities. Biofilters may also be used to process waste streams from industrial facilities. A wide range of volatile organic compounds can be removed aerobically using biofiltration including most volatile and semivolatile alkanes, alkenes, and arenas in the C₄ to C₁₈ range. Contaminants such as benzene, MTBE, TBA, toluene, and xylenes are removed very efficiently. The primary fate of contaminants removed in biofilters is biological degradation rather than accumulation in the bed media, therefore eliminating waste disposal costs.

ERI, in conjunction with the University of California at Davis, has also developed and is operating vapor-phase and liquid-phase biofilters for treatment of waste streams from site remediation activities. Biofilters may also be used to process waste streams from industrial facilities. A wide range of volatile organic compounds can be removed aerobically using biofiltration including most volatile and semivolatile alkanes, alkenes, and arenas in the C₄ to C₁₈ range. Contaminants such as benzene, MTBE, TBA, toluene, and xylenes are removed very efficiently. The primary fate of contaminants removed in biofilters is biological degradation rather than accumulation in the bed media, therefore eliminating waste disposal costs.

ERI currently manufactures biological reactors for sale or lease and is operating the following equipment for treatment of vapor streams:

ERI-100V Vapor-Phase Bioreactor

• Reactors are cylindrical with dimensions of 4.3 feet diameter by 5.1 feet high and include media.
• Vapor flow rates not to exceed approximately 100 cubic feet per minute (cfm).
• Reactors may be run in series or parallel.
• Capable of sustaining in excess of 90% hydrocarbon removal rates with empty bed contact time of 2 minutes (volume/flow rate).

Other sizes may be designed and manufactured for industrial facilities to meet specific requirements.

Phase 1 Site Assessments Phase 2 Investigations Phase 3 Remedial Action Groundwater Operation/Maintenance Litigation/Resolution	Regulatory Compliance Pilot Testing Biological Treatment Wastewater Treatment Storm Water Construction Management

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