A Multifunctional Fiber Optic Sensor for Cone Pentrometer Applications

Not Available EPA directives have mandated detection of perchlorate contamination at parts-per-billion (ppb) levels in groundwater. The current laboratory method requires anion separation by ion chromatography (IC), followed by detection of conductivity. The IC method provides sufficient selectivity, but conductometric detection requires suppression of the background mobile phase conductance. The proposed research program will couple ion chromatography (IC), to separate perchlorate from interfering anions, and a perchlorate selective sensing element to detect the presence of ppb perchlorate in the column effluent. The greatly improved selectivity of the proposed technology over the conventional IC-suppressed conductivity method, affords a simplified instrument capable of detecting ppb levels of perchlorate even in water samples containing much higher concentrations of interfering anions. The proposed technology consists of a miniaturized, self-contained, waterproof, microprocessor controlled instrument that will provide DoD a convenient means for in situ detection of groundwater perchlorate via standard monitoring wells.