Semi-continuous, on-line monitoring of selenium in coal-fired power plant waste water

Project Summary/Abstract The proposed Phase II SBIR Project will convert our successful Phase I feasibility study into a prototype system for on-line, real-time monitoring of selenium in coal-fired power plant waste water. As an innovator in advanced chemical analysis, OndaVia is positioned to be the provider of choice for companies demanding fast, accurate water testing. The OndaVia analysis system consists of test kits designed for fast, easy, laboratory-grade water analysis. These kits couple with an instrument that scans the sample to determine contaminant concentrations. Results are presented simply to the user—with calibration-free analysis performed over a wide concentration range. This project represents a beach-head market opportunity for a platform technology capable of measuring a wide-range of metals in water. The specific Phase II goal is to develop, evaluate, and validate our innovative technology into an online, autonomous selenium analysis platform, enabling Phase III commercial activities. During the Phase I project, OndaVia demonstrated the feasibility of semi-continuous selenium analysis in coal-fired power plant waste water, achieving a 2.5-ppb minimum detection limit in real-world water samples. Our auto- calibrating, modular system overcomes the challenges faced by other on-line systems using an optical method coupled with an internal standard to determine selenium concentration. With the further capability to speciate selenium, and future potential to measure arsenic and nitrate with the sample platform, OndaVia’s approach addresses the needs of industry in the years to come.Project Narrative Clean water is necessary for a healthy society, yet we are faced with constant new concerns about pollution in our water sources—including ever-increasing threats from trace pollutants such as metals that are widely present in our water supplies. Unfortunately, our water managers, research scientists and government agencies do not have available the types of low-cost/high- performance analytical tools they need to adequately study and monitor water pollutants at relevant parts-per-billion (ppb) levels. OndaVia’s goal for this SBIR Phase II project is to develop an online, semi-continuous metals analysis system that will initially allow coal-fired power plants to monitor their waste water and eventually provide a tool for scientists, engineers, operators, and regulators across the water sector to measure metal contamination.