Iron-breathing microbes eyed for controlling spills of gasoline

Additive MTBE suspected of causing cancer in animals; scientists studying ways to get microorganisms to remediate soil

Trudy Tynan

Associated Press Writer

Iron-breathing microbes considered to be among the oldest life forms on earth could be the newest weapon against gasoline spills.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts are looking into ways to use the tiny organisms found deep in the earth to control underground spills of the gasoline additive MTBE.

First added to gasoline to enhance octane, and later in much larger amounts to reduce air pollution, methyl tertiary butyl ether seeps quickly into the soil and has turned up in drinking water wells and groundwater supplies throughout the nation.

A recent study by the federal Environmental Protection Agency found that even if use of MTBE was immediately curtailed, it would take decades to remove the contamination. MTBE’s effect on humans is still being studied, but it is suspected of causing cancer in animals.

“By encouraging these microorganisms deep in the soil we can get them to do the remediation for us,” said Derek Lovley, a microbiologist who heads the UMass research project.

It’s been known for some time that some bacteria can break down petrochemicals, he said, but most of the microorganisms that have been used are oxygen breathers.

These microbes don’t need oxygen

Because of the extreme conditions in which they can survive, the iron breathers, discovered about a decade ago, are believed to be among the earliest kind of organisms to appear on the earth and have intrigued scientists looking for clues to where life may be found on other planets.

“They are not harmful. They are natural components of the environment, so we wouldn’t be adding something that could cause problems,” he said. The waste product that is formed when they consume MTBE is carbon dioxide, he said.