公开(公告)号：EP0958070A1

公开(公告)日：1999-11-24

申请号：EP97933446.0

申请日：1997-07-10

申请人： Envirogen, Inc.

发明人： CONDEE, Charles, W. ,  STEFFAN, Robert, J. ,  DeFLAUN, Mary, F. ,  MICHELSON, Jennifer, D. ,  McCLAY, Kevin R.

IPC分类号： A62D3 ,  B09C1 ,  C02F3 ,  C12P1

CPC分类号： A62D3/02 ,  A62D2101/28 ,  B09C1/10 ,  C02F3/34 ,  C12P1/00 ,  C12R1/00 ,  Y10S435/863

摘要： The present invention is directed to a method for degrading an undesirable ether-based environmental contaminant by contacting the ether with a propane-oxidizing microorganism or with an isopropanol-oxidizing microorganism to convert the ether to innocuous compounds which are environmentally acceptable, including treating the ether-based contaminants in situ or removing them from the contaminated site for treatment in a bioreactor. Examples of ether-based compounds which can be degraded are tertiary butyl ethers of the type utilized as gasoline oxygenates, for example, methyl tert-butyl ether, ethyl tert-butyl ether, and methyl tert-amyl ether and also ether solvents, for example, tetrahydrofuran.