STTR Phase I: Development of low-cost optical sensor for nitrate detection in agricultural soils and environmental waters

该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是通过提供可持续的安全饮用水，帮助控制土壤和水中的营养污染物，造福世界-S人口。饮用水中氮污染造成的国家经济成本估计为每年190亿美元，淡水生态系统的成本为每年780亿美元。传统的水质监测做法是基于“抓取样本”，这些样本被送往实验室进行分析，可能需要几天到几周的时间才能完成。在农业中也发现了类似的传统方法，过量使用基于硝酸盐的化肥可能导致农业径流，给地面和地表水源带来污染。拟议的高性能、低成本光学传感器技术将使在淡水水源、水处理设施和农场部署密集的实时监测网络成为可能，并将在价值68亿美元的全球水质监测设备市场获得重要立足点。在发生自然灾害时，集成建议的硝酸盐传感器将有助于评估当地水资源的水质，为社区提供关于水安全的实时信息。这项小型企业技术转移(STTR)第一阶段项目的重点是开发一种用于实时监测水中硝酸盐浓度的非分散红外(NDIR)探测器。这项工作将结合硝酸盐选择性离子交换膜技术和当今低成本的红外(IR)元件来设计一种针对水环境中应用的新型传感器。所提出的技术依赖于红外光纤进行信号传输。目前，商用的实时光学硝酸盐传感器基于紫外线(UV)吸收，由于与无机和有机物质相关的UV光谱中的光学干扰，以及浑浊导致的UV透过率降低，限制了其使用。拟议的专有IR技术旨在通过实施智能膜过滤来克服这些缺点。该仪器将在动态水环境中提供高频数据收集，灵敏度范围宽(1至100ppm)。这项技术可以进一步扩展，用于测量额外的营养物质和污染物，使其成为水质评估的强大工具。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be to help control nutrient contaminants in soil and water for the benefit of the world?s population, by providing sustainable access to safe drinking water. The estimated national economic cost of nitrogen pollution in drinking water is $19 billion annually, while the cost to freshwater ecosystems is $78 billion per year. Traditional water-quality monitoring practices are based on "grab-samples" that are sent for laboratory analyses that may take days to weeks to be completed. Similar traditional approaches are found in agriculture where excessive application of nitrate-based fertilizers may result in agricultural runoff that carries pollution to ground and surface water sources. The proposed high-performance, low-cost optical sensor technology will enable deployment of a dense real-time monitoring network in freshwater sources, water treatment facilities, and farms, and will gain a significant foothold in the $6.8B global water quality monitoring equipment market. In the event of natural disasters, integration of the proposed nitrate sensor will be useful in assessment of water quality in local water resources, providing communities with real-time information on water safety.This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project focuses on the development of a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) detector for real-time monitoring of nitrate concentration in water. This effort will combine nitrate-selective ion-exchange membrane technology with today's low-cost infrared (IR) components for the design of a new type of sensor targeting applications in aqueous environment. The proposed technology relies on infrared optical fibers for signal transmission. Currently, the use of commercial real-time optical nitrate sensors, based on ultra-violet (UV) absorption, is limited due to the optical interferences in the UV spectra related to the inorganic and organic substances, and reduced UV transmission caused by turbidity. The proposed proprietary IR technology is designed to overcome these shortcomings through implementation of smart membrane filtering. The instrument will provide high frequency data collection in dynamic aqueous environments with a wide sensitivity range (1 to 100 ppm). This technology can be further expanded for measurement of additional nutrients and contaminants, making it a robust tool for water quality assessment.