Fiber-Optic Arc Excitation Spectrometry for Subsurface Heavy Metal Detection

Site characterization to detect subsurface contamination is of a enormous interest for both public and private applications. Biotronics is proposing to adapt an arc excitation spectrometry technology originally developed for anlaysis of liquid nutrient solutions at NASA to the detection of heavy metals in soils. A preliminary design will be defined that will permit arc excitation of soil adjacent to a characterization probe. The probe will be designed to be fitted with a fiber-optic cable to convey captured emission spectra to a remote instrument for detection and analysis using specially developed pattern recognition algorithms. Anticipated Benefits: The technology to be demonstrated under this project has numerous applications in environmental monitoring and industrial process control.