Remote electrode for monitoring metal contaminants
- New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM (United States). Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Battelle PNL, Richland, WA (United States)
- Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego, CA (United States)
An electrochemical sensor technology, based on potentiometric stripping analysis at a gold microelectrode, has been developed for remote detection of trace metal contaminants. The new device circumvents technical difficulties, including the need for mercury surfaces, removal of oxygen, or forced convection, that previously prevented the adaptation of stripping analysis to in-situ remote operations. The gold fiber microelectrode, connected to a long communication cable, allows convenient quantitation of trace copper, mercury, lead or selenium, at 1--3 min intervals and large ({approximately} 100 ft) instrumental/sample distances. The remarkable sensitivity of the probe is coupled with multielement capability, high stability and simplicity. Field demonstrations involving both downhole groundwater monitoring sand in-situ shipboard seawater analysis were successful. The new remote electrode should be extremely useful for the characterization of priority metal pollutants in hazardous waste sites and for the immediate detection of sudden metal contaminations. A similar probe design, based on an enzyme electrode (instead of the gold one), was developed for monitoring phenolic or peroxide contaminants.
- OSTI ID:
- 276317
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950209--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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