Development of a continuous real-time nutrients, metals, and contaminant analyzer for environmental applications in agricultural and urban watersheds

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AUG Signals is developing a nutrient analyzer to establish a real-time monitoring system to evaluate trending**environmental data and quantitatively assess the nutrient, metals, and contaminant content and their variations**in agricultural and urban watersheds. AUG's current optical sensing technologies use continuous absorption**spectral analysis (200-1100 nm, every 30 seconds) to identify and quantify water contaminants, such as**organic, inorganic, heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides. To date, the successful applications of AUG's**technologies are in drinking water quality monitoring and distribution network management. Recently, AUG**has attempted to adapt its technology into environmental water analysis with an in-line sample intake and**pre-treatment system for integration into their real-time, low-cost nutrient analyzer. AUG's photonic sensor**prototype with real-time spectral analysis algorithms can conduct full absorption spectral analysis of water**samples every 30 seconds. AUG has successfully applied this sensor to detect and forecast contaminants in**drinking water. The real-time trending data has helped to predict and prevent potential adverse events in many**cases in Canada. However, environmental waters have much more complex contaminant compositions than**drinking water.**The successful completion of this project will advance Canada's water treatment and monitoring facilities',**research institutions' and private sectors in the fields' capacity in water nutrient analysis. The analytical**capability to collect real-time trending data simultaneously at multiple locations will dramatically improve**academic, industrial, and regulatory stakeholders to develop models to understand nutrient flows in relation to**varying crop, weather, and watershed dynamics within Canada. The outcomes of this project will also facilitate**the Federal and provincial governments, regional conservation authorities and regulatory agencies to effectively**measure, monitor and identify pollution sources.