Real-Time Sensor for Continuous On-Line Monitoring of Wastewater Quality

Real-time monitoring of wastewater quality remains an unsolved challenge in the treatment industry. The standard method of biological oxygen demand (BOD) yields slow results (five days); another standard method, chemical oxygen demand (COD), uses hazardous chemicals and does not provide direct information on potential for ecological pollution. The treatment industry has expressed need for the development of new, meaningful fast-responding measurement methods to complement (or replace) the current standard methods. The overall objective of this project is to develop deployable instrument for continuous in-line monitoring of treated wastewater quality. Phase I demonstrated a new electrochemical measurement process for the determination of wastewater constituents as alternative to present standard measurements. Laboratory studies and comparisons to standard methods confirmed the feasibility of the proposed approach in simulant mixtures and real-world wastewater samples. Phase II program will feature further optimization of the measurement process to define and establish a new metric paralleled with an extensive comparison with standard BOD and COD measurements. Phase II program will also include design, fabrication, and integration of Giners PureSens probe as a portable sensor for on-site testing of wastewater samples at multiple treatment facilities.