Deployable Low-Cost Device for Monitoring Nitrate Levels in Water

Subsurface agricultural drainage can greatly increase agricultural productivity in the midwestern United States, but in some cases pollutants move through these systems. One specific water quality concern is nitrate, a form of nitrogen that moves readily through the soil and is often present in high amounts in drainage waters. The water quality of our streams, rivers, and lakes can be degraded by nitrate in tile drainage. Moreover, because many streams and rivers in this region lead to the Mississippi River, nitrate in midwestern agricultural drainage also contributes to the hypoxic zone (or Dead Zone) in the Gulf of Mexico. Therefore, it is critical to have networks of widely distributed nitrate sensors with real-time reporting capabilities to monitor nitrate levels in many locations, so that we can make better decisions about drainage water management and treatment.Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS) is planning to develop a low-cost nitrate monitoring system that is self-powered, rapidly deployable, and wireless for continuous water monitoring. In Phase I, a nitrate sensor will be fabricated and its sensitivity, selectivity, and stability will be characterized.