SBIR Phase I: Sustainable Management of Quality Drinking Water Through Greener and More Affordable Analytical Monitoring Tools and Techniques

This SBIR Phase I will establish the technical feasibility of a low-cost 3D printed colorimeter and 2+ 2+ develop safer greener methods for the determination of manganese ion (Mn ) iron ion (Fe ) and free available chlorine (FAC) to improve drinking water treatment and quality for rural communities across the United States. Adoption of the colorimeter and the improved detection methods will provide rural water supply operators and superintendents safer contaminant monitoring methods cost savings from optimization of contaminant removal treatment processes environmental impact and of treated water meeting regulatory guidelines. The project will focus optimizing our 3D printed colorimeter prototype and developing 2+ 2+ proprietary greener testing methods for Fe Mn and FAC using sustainable and safer alternatives. To improve method accuracy precision and detection limit the system will leverage improved data processing through a proprietary algorithm that utilizes multi regression from multi-channel sensors. To demonstrate technical feasibility alpha testing will be conducted in the field with real-world samples and the data will be compiled and presented in a final report. The proposed technology is envisioned to have a significant impact as a new platform for affordable green detection capabilities for monitoring contaminants and chemicals of concern in drinking water wastewater and natural waters.