Development of a System for In Situ Monitoring of Volatile Organics

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9424211 Leonard This is an award to support research on the potential use of remote fiber spectroscopy in a system to detect the presence and nature of organic contaminants in water. This research is based on prior work that led to development of a novel optrode that utilized a fluorescent indicator to detect and monitor pure polar organic substances in water solution. The research to be conducted involves a technique in which light of an appropriate wave length is launched through an optical fiber to a remote sample. The return signal from the sample is changed by the sample's chemical properties to reveal either the exact nature of the chemical or the chemical group to which it belongs. Detection of the presence and concentrations of organic substances that leak into aquifers is an important step in remediation of soils and aquifers contaminated by hazardous substances. Results of this research are expected to be an important link in overall remote sensing research partly because it will focus on practical aspects such as ruggedness, optrode lifetime and low concentration studies. Future instrumentation based on this consist has the potential of greatly reducing safety hazards, person hours and produce real-time chemical data on environmental quality of contaminated environmental resources. ***