79
Long-Term Electrochemical Measurement of Hazardous
Metals in Groundwater--Instrumentation Northwest, Inc., 14902 NE
31st Circle, Redmond, WA 98052-5320;
509-582-8057
Mr. Stephen H. Hall,
Principal Investigator
Mr. Stephen H. Hall,
Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG03-00ER83021
Amount: $82,195
The Department of
Energy is seeking innovative remote sensor systems that can replace
conventional sampling and laboratory analysis for long-term monitoring of
hazardous metals in groundwater at environmental legacy sites. Robust sensors capable of operating for
extended periods without maintenance could significantly reduce the very high
projected long-term monitoring costs.
At some sites, projected costs using conventional sampling and analysis
are expected to eventually equal or exceed the original cost of site
remediation. Recent work shows that
certain electrochemical "stripping" methods of analysis can be
adapted to in situ measurement of many important contaminant metals,
with extreme sensitivity (part-per-billion level). Sensor electrodes designed for potentiometric stripping and
(later) adsorptive stripping will be combined with low-power electronics in a
submersible, cable-deployed package for directly measuring metals such as
mercury, lead, copper, arsenic, selenium, chromium, uranium, nickel, cobalt,
and aluminum. The Phase I project
focuses on potentiometric stripping analysis and has two main objectives. The first is to identify factors that affect
the long-term stability of the sensor system, and to develop methods to
compensate for these factors. The
second objective is to produce prototypes whose performance in extended-term
measurement of target metals such as mercury and lead can be evaluated under
realistic conditions.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Significant reduction of monitoring costs at
Department of Energy sites is a major national benefit in itself. Commercial applications include metal
monitoring at landfills, mines, water treatment plants, industrial waste sites,
and others. Other potential users
include government agencies and environmental remediation firms.