Hand-Held Monitor for On-Site Detection of Heavy Metals in Water Using Microfabricated Detector Chips--Eltron Research, Inc., 5660 Airport Boulevard, Boulder, CO 80301-2340; (303) 440-8008
Dr. Michael T. Carter, Principal Investigator
Ms. Eileen E. Sammells, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG03-98ER82569
Amount: $74,996

Heavy metal contamination in ground and surface water is a widespread problem within the DOE complex. Advanced methods and instrumentation are required to provide reliable, long-term monitoring for evaluation and remediation of this contamination. This project will address development of a low-cost, hand-held monitor for heavy metals, including lead, mercury, zinc, chromium and cadmium, which operates on electrochemical principles. The active element of the device will utilize a microfabricated electrode array which minimizes size and cost while providing extreme sensitivity. Phase I will demonstrate the proposed concept, including (i) design and fabrication of electrodes for detection of metals, (ii) evaluation of detector performance and (iii) demonstration of a bench top analog of the ultimate Phase II unit.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Electrochemical detection of heavy metals provides a potential low-cost, portable avenue to on-site testing for industrial and personal environmental evaluations. Technology to emerge from this project will find application in drinking water and waste water analysis, process effluent analysis and environmental remediation.