Low-Cost Electronic Nose for Groundwater Contaminants

描述（由申请人提供）：一些美国机构和监管机构需要低成本的化学传感器，用于检测和监测可能污染地下水的环境清理、修复和退役过程。传感器必须能够检测地下地下水中的污染物，并且必须能够在一系列环境中兼容使用。最重要的是，这些客户需要一种低成本的替代方案，以取代目前昂贵且劳动密集型的方法，即使用移动实验室。该项目将带来低成本传感器系统的创新应用，该系统将能够在无人值守的情况下，通过一个推式探头，使用化学电容器阵列和微型预浓缩器，实时检测和监测地下和地下水中的致密非水相液体。Seacoast的第一阶段研究将侧重于开发传感器阵列，展示对相关浓度的氯化碳氢化合物的敏感性，并在实际污染地点进行现场测试。最终目标是为国防部、能源部、NIEHS和其他机构提供一种无需操作人员即可实时绘制和跟踪地下污染羽流的方法。该系统将具有MEMS微电容传感器阵列，可以监测有毒化学品泄漏、废物污染物和地下水流的变化。预浓缩器收集污染物并将其释放到微传感器阵列。传感器阵列中填充了几种化学选择性聚合物，这些聚合物的介电常数在暴露于不同的蒸汽时发生变化，从而对每种化学物质产生指纹响应。因此，一组不同响应的传感器和模式识别可以补偿湿度、温度和成分的变化。这些低功耗系统可以无人值守，并通过无线或USB将数据传输到中心位置。对公共健康和安全最重要的应用是对饮用水、水处理过程和水源的无人监测。潜在的商业市场包括建筑化学过程监测和控制、有毒蒸汽泄漏检测、工业过程控制以及工业健康和安全。将已开发的原型推向其他市场，在这些市场将调查工人和公共卫生、环境卫生和法规遵守情况，以减少财务风险并扩大对该技术的接受程度。公共卫生相关性：本提案将描述一种潜在的方法，通过提供一种无人值机的传感器系统，实时跟踪污染并传输污染物浓度，专门解决检测地下水污染物和长期监测污染地点的需求。这种系统将与其他方法一起使用，为已经在进行地面和水清理项目的美国能源部、国防部和超级基金站点提供全面的污染管理。拟议的工作将侧重于氯代烃的检测，氯代烃被描述为美国能源部场地地下水和土壤中最常见的污染物之一。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Several US agencies and regulators require low-cost chemical sensors for detecting and monitoring environmental clean-up, remediation, and decommissioning processes where groundwater may be contaminated. The sensors must be capable of detecting contaminants in the sub-surface groundwater and must be compatible with use in a range of environments. Most significantly, these customers require a low-cost alternative to its current expensive and labor intensive methods, namely using mobile laboratories. The project will result in the innovative use of low-cost sensor systems that will be capable of detecting and monitoring for dense non-aqueous phase liquids in the subsurface and groundwater, unattended, and in real- time from within a push-probe, using a chemicapacitor array and miniature preconcentrator. Seacoast's Phase I research will focus on developing the sensor array, demonstrating sensitivity to chlorinated hydrocarbons at relevant concentrations, and field tests in actual contaminated sites. The ultimate goal is to provide the DOD, DOE, NIEHS and other agencies with a method to map and track subsurface contamination plumes in real-time without requiring an operator. The systems will have MEMS microcapacitor sensor arrays that can monitor for leaks of toxic chemicals, contaminants from wastes, and changes in groundwater streams. A preconcentrator collects the contaminants and releases them to a microsensor array. The sensor arrays are filled with several chemoselective polymers whose dielectric permittivity changes when exposed to different vapors, creating a fingerprint response for each chemical. An array of differently responding sensors and pattern recognition can thereby compensate for changes in humidity, temperature, and composition. These low-power systems can be left unattended and transmit data wirelessly or through USB to a central location. The most important application to public health and safety is unattended monitoring of drinking water, water treatment processes, and water sources. The potential commercial markets include building chemical process monitoring and control, toxic vapor leak detection, industrial process control, and industrial health and safety. Transitioning the developed prototype to other markets where worker and public health, environmental health and regulatory compliance will be investigated to reduce the financial risks and broaden the acceptance of the technology. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This proposal will describe a potential method to specifically address the need for detecting groundwater contaminants and long-term monitoring of contaminated sites, by providing an unattended sensor system that tracks contamination in real-time and transmits contaminant concentrations. Such a system would be used in tandem with other methods, to provide comprehensive contamination management at DOE, DOD, and Superfund sites where ground and water clean-up projects are already underway. The proposed work will focus on detection of chlorinated hydrocarbons, which are described as among the most common pollutants in groundwater and soils at DOE sites.