A new fiber-optic sensor technology for rapid and inexpensive characterization of soil contamination

Conference · Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:10178654

Milanovich, F P; Brown, S B; Colston, Jr, B W; Daley, P F ^[1]; Rossabi, J ^[2]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
2. Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)

The extent and complexity of worldwide environmental contamination are great enough that remediation will be extremely costly and lengthy. There is an urgent need for characterization techniques that are rapid, inexpensive, and simple and that do not generate waste. Towards this end LLNL is developing a fiber-optic chemical sensor technology for use in groundwater and vadose-zone monitoring. We use a colorimetric detection technique, based on an irreversible chemical reaction between a specific reagent and the target compound. The accuracy and sensitivity of the sensor (<5 ppb by weight in water, determined by comparison with gas chromatographic standard measurements) are sufficient for environmental monitoring of at least trichloroethylene (TCE) and chloroform.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 10178654
• Report Number(s): UCRL-JC-113731; CONF-930589-4; ON: DE93017973; TRN: 93:018901
• Resource Relation: Conference: 4. international conference on contaminated soil,Berlin (Germany),3-7 May 1993; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1993
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
GROUND WATER
MONITORING
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
DESIGN
PERFORMANCE
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
DETECTION
CHLOROFORM
FIBER OPTICS
SOILS
ACCURACY
SENSITIVITY
540220
400800
CHEMICALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
COMBUSTION, PYROLYSIS, AND HIGH-TEMPERATURE CHEMISTRY