Online Microbial Fuel Cell Biofilm BOD Sensor (with InnovateUK)

该项目旨在制造和开发一种基于微生物燃料电池的在线生物传感器，用于快速在线检测污水处理厂使用的生化需氧量(BOD)。BOD提供了可生物降解碳的数量的衡量标准，可生物降解碳是一种受监管以保护水质的成分。目前测量BOD的技术要么耗费时间和资源，要么高估了真实的BOD。生物电化学系统(BES，微生物燃料电池的一种)为BOD传感提供了一种潜在的解决方案，其中阳极生物膜消耗的可生物降解物质的浓度与产生的电流成正比。监测该电流可实时(或接近实时)测量BOD。该项目开发的在线BOD传感器将使水处理公司和其他排放含有有机物的废水的行业能够连续监测BOD。他们将第一次能够使用实时、连续的监测来经济地优化各种处理方案来控制BOD。实时监测目前是不可能的，因为对于运行参数的每一次变化，都必须执行大量昂贵且耗时的离线BOD测试。改进的监测还将带来直接好处，在BOD排放接近同意限制时向运营商发出警报，允许在违反限制并招致罚款之前采取行动，而这种情况目前是不可能的。改善对排放水中BOD的控制具有明显的环境效益，在这些地区，处理厂下游地区不再受到BOD剧烈波动的影响，可以管理稳定的生态。该项目建立在纽卡斯尔大学博士项目的基础上，采用了设计和概念，并将其开发成满足工业需求的商业产品。将开发、测试和校准基于BES的BOD传感器。该项目有多个阶段，如下所示。南威尔士大学将在电极设计和制造方面处于领先地位。纽卡斯尔大学将带头测试和校准传感器。1.对工程中使用的传感器进行设计，确保设计满足工程要求。设计上游样品处理系统，将废物输送到传感器。建造BES传感器。制造的传感器将运往纽卡斯尔进行设置和校准。建立样品处理系统。建造的系统将运往纽卡斯尔与传感器集成。探头安装和校准。纽卡斯尔测试的探头是稳定的，并在各种商定的条件下进行校准，包括毒性条件。软件开发。纽卡斯尔将提供该算法的校准数据7.BES探头在各种条件下的稳定性和响应性测试，使用人工和实际废水样本来验证响应时间、射程、稳定性等约定因素。审查和优化。必须检查传感器数据，并审查操纵性和稳定性。一旦审查了这些数据，则必须对设计进行任何必要的更改，以便能够设计出坚固耐用、可商业制造的系统。9.最终确定基于BES的BOD传感器的设计，并提交一份报告，其中显示了充分的支持数据，可以就该项目的可行性做出商业决定，并提供将该系统推向商业传感器制造商的信息。该项目由WHPartnership、纽卡斯尔大学和南威尔士大学共同参与。他们一起带来了项目所需的工程、软件、微生物学和产品设计方面的必要技能。大学带来了基础研究，WHPartnership带来了工业应用方面的专业知识。

The project aims to manufacture and develop an online Microbial Fuel Cell-based biosensor for rapid, online detection of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) to be used at wastewater treatment plants. The BOD provides a measure of the amount of biodegradable carbon, a constituent that is regulated to protect water quality. Current techniques for measuring BOD are either time-consuming and resource-intensive, or provide over-estimates of true BOD. Bioelectrochemical Systems (BES, a type of Microbial Fuel Cell) offer a potential solution for BOD sensing, in which the concentration of biodegradable material consumed by the anodic biofilm is proportional to the electrical current generated. Monitoring that current provides a measure of BOD in real time (or close to real time). The online BOD sensor developed in this project will enable water treatment companies, and other industries that discharge effluent containing organic matter, to continuously monitor BOD. For the first time, they will be able to use real time, continuous monitoring to economically optimise various treatment protocols to control BOD. Real time monitoring is currently not possible, as for each variation in operating parameters a large number of expensive and time consuming off-line BOD tests would have to be performed. Improved monitoring will also bring direct benefits by alerting operators as the discharge BOD approaches the consent limits, allowing action to be taken before the limits are breached and a fine is incurred, a situation that is not currently possible. There are clear environmental benefits to having improved control of the BOD in discharged water, where areas downstream of the treatment plants are no longer subject to wild fluctuations in BOD and a stable ecology can be managed. The project builds on work from a PhD project at Newcastle University, taking the design and concept and developing it into a commercial product that meets industrial needs. The BES-based BOD sensor will be developed, tested and calibrated. The project has a number of stages, as shown below. University of South Wales will lead on electrode design and fabrication. Newcastle University will will lead on testing and calibrating the sensor. 1. Design the sensor to be used in the project, ensuring the design meets the project requirements.2. Design the upstream sample handling systems for waste to be passed to the sensor.3. Build the BES sensor. Built sensor to be shipped to Newcastle for set-up and calibration.4. Build the sample treatment system. Built system to be shipped to Newcastle for integration with sensor.5. Probe set up and calibration. Newcastle to test the probe is stable and to calibrate under a variety of agreed conditions, including toxicity conditions.6. Software Development. Newcastle will provide the algorithm from the calibration data 7. BES probe stability and response testing under a variety of conditions, using artificial and then actual wastewater samples to validate the response times, range, stability and other agreed factors.8. Review and optimisation. The sensor data must be examined and the handling and stability reviewed. Once this data is reviewed then any changes that are required must be made to the design so that a design for a robust, commercially manufacturable system can be made. 9. Finalise a design for a BES-based BOD sensor with a report showing sufficient supporting data that a commercial decision on the viability of the project can be made and the information used to market the system to a commercial sensor manufacturer.The project brings together WHPartnership, University of Newcastle and University of South Wales. Together they bring necessary skills in engineering, software, microbiology and product design that are needed for the project. The universities bring the fundamental research and WHPartnership bring the expertise in industrial application.