Smart Multiparameter Water Quality Sensors for Protecting Agriculture and Watersheds

This SBIR project focuses on creating new low-cost multiparameter microsensors for quantitatively monitoring pollutants found in surface and ground water resources. Presently U.S. agriculture produce $164 billion annually in goods and services. Regular water quality monitoring of key nutrients (i.e. nitrate phosphate and ammonia) plays a critical role with optimizing production as well as mitigating potential damage to both agricultural lands and watersheds. SBIR Project objectives will enable the development of a new EPA compliant analytical test method using a novel self-calibrating microsensor technology integrated with a mobile App designed to acquire analyze and transfer quantitative data to cloud-based warehouses (i.e. EPA Water Quality Exchange). Project success will be realized by creating real-time devices consisting of new nanocomposite hydrogel thin films that reproducibly change color when exposed to the desired target pollutants with the same accuracy and precision as EPA certified analytical laboratory methods. The proposed water quality monitoring technology addresses a $270 million disruptive opportunity within the $20 billion environmental sensing market segment. Primary market drivers for the proposed technology include higher pollution levels impacts from climate change and more stringent government regulations. For example recent drought conditions in the U.S. has caused added stress to agricultural land and water resources; especially for small to mid-size farmers and ranchers operating under limited financial resources and small profit margins. Key advantages of the proposed technology include: (1) quantitative results; (2) low cost; (3) easy to use; (4) minimal labor and training; (5) EPA compliant data accessed via the cloud.