IMPLANTED MEMBRANES FOR CHARACTERIZATION AND MONITORING

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Many localities across the Unites States rely upon groundwater as the source of drinking water. In our industrialized society, pollution threatens the groundwater supply and, therefore, poses a significant health risk to the population. This Phase I SBIR research proposal offers an innovative solution to current inadequacies in groundwater monitoring. With the proposed sampling membranes, it will be possible to better characterize a contaminated site before remediation begins by providing more cost-effective and timely data. Once remediation begins, the same tools can be used to actively monitor the status of the remediation and allow site managers to make better decisions about remediation strategies. In addition, both of these options can be employed at a significantly lower cost than current technologies. The proposed samplers are passive devices that can be easily deployed in the subsurface using either state-of-the-art direct push technology or conventional drilling. Also, the samplers can be retrofit into existing monitoring wells, making it possible to convert antiquated wells to state-of-the-art technology.