THIN FILM OPTICAL SENSORS FOR SUBSURFACE MONITORING OF ORGANIC WASTE BIODEGRADATION

THE USE OF BIOREMEDIATION PROCEDURES TO TREAT ORGANIC WASTES CONTAINING CHLORINATED SOLVENTS OR CONCENTRATED ORGANICS PROVIDES AN EFFECTIVE METHOD OF REDUCING SUBSURFACE CONTAMINATION. HOWEVER, THE TRANSITION OF MICROBIALLY MEDIATED BIODEGRADATION FROM LABORATORY STUDIES TO FIELD-BASED METHODS HAS BEEN HAMPERED BY METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS RELATED TO THE INABILITY TO VERIFY THE ACTIVITY AND TYPE OF MICROBIAL POPULATIONS IN SEQUENTIAL BIOREMEDIATION PROCEDURES. TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, THIS PROJECT IS DEVELOPING OPTICAL SENSORS OF MICROBIAL ACTIVITY AND TYPE SUITABLE FOR FIELD TESTING. THE INNOVATION IS THE USE OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL THIN FILMS CONTAINING CHEMICAL MEDIA SPECIFIC FOR MICROORGANISM SPECIES AS A COATING FOR AN OPTICAL SURFACE PLASMON RESONANCE SENSOR HEAD TO PROVIDE A MICROORGANISM-SPECIFIC SIGNATURE FOR EVALUATION OF METABOLISM AND MICROORGANISM TYPE. THE RESEARCH INCLUDES THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIN FILM MEDIA FOR MICROBIAL DIFFERENTIATION, THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MINIATURIZED SURFACE PLASMON SPECTROMETER, CALIBRATION UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS, AND DESIGN OF AN ENGINEERING MODEL FOR EXTENSIVE DEVELOPMENT. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS FOUND IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONTROL METHODS FOR BIOREMEDIATION ACHIEVABLE WITH AN INSTRUMENT FOR IN SITU IDENTIFICATION OF MICROBIAL TYPE AND MEASUREMENT OF MICROBIAL METABOLISM. THE PROGRAM WOULD IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS OF THE NATION BY PROVIDING AN ON-LINE SENSOR TO OPTIMIZE SEQUENTIAL BIOREMEDIATION PROCESSES AND HAZARDOUS WASTE REDUCTION.