Parametric Analysis for the Fate of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) in Groundwater Resources from a Fuel Storage Tank in Northern Tehran

Procedures of extraction, refinement, transmission and consumption of oil have a high pollution potential to soil, air, and water resources. The leaking of oil into the ground and toward the groundwater resources is a common phenomenon in pollution studies. Regarding the considerable oil resources in Iran, the groundwater pollution is a major issue due to different oil-based pollutants in the main source of drinking and agricultural water. Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) which is toxic and very soluble in water is one of the most common oxygenated compounds used in producing lead-free gasoline in Iran and many other countries. The parametric study of the factors which affect the biodegradation and transport of MTBE is very important. In this study the most important biodegradation models are reviewed. BIOSCREEN as an analytical and BIOPLUME as a numerical model based on finite difference approximation are among these models. As the case study, the geochemical field data is used for one of the gasoline stations in Tehran (gasoline station no. 25 next to Ameneh Nursery) to predict the fate of MTBE in groundwater resources in the vicinity of the station. This is performed based on the biogeochemical properties of the soil and the groundwater including the soil density, soil adsorption, and groundwater velocity. The concentrations of dissolved oxygen, nitrate, sulfate, and iron are also considered as electron acceptors. The result of the study showed that the electron acceptors have a considerable effect on MTBE biodegradation. The results also indicated that the model outputs are in good agreement with the field data and can be used as a good tool for the prediction of natural biodegradation of petroleum products in groundwater.