NMR technology for in-situ characterization and quantification of groundwater contamination

This proposal addresses the challenge of rapidly, economically, and accurately detecting and monitoring groundwater contamination in situ at depth. Millions of Americans live in areas that are considered environmentally contaminated or at high risk for contamination. These areas often have issues like air or water pollution, toxic waste sites, or proximity to industrial facilities that can contribute to health risks. Groundwater contamination is a significant problem that can impact human health, the environment, and the economy. During Phase I and II of this proposal we will develop, demonstrate, and bring to market the in-situ NMR technology and methods for real-time characterization and quantification of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL) and dissolved-phase contaminants in groundwater in-situ at depth. We will demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of developing in-situ multinuclear NMR borehole logging technology that is sensitive to accurate measurement of the most concerning groundwater contamination such as chlorinated solvents and PFAS. We will identify the detection and sensitivity limits of this technology to precisely detect cut-off values of NMR-sensitive elements found in groundwater. The proposed NMR-based technology will be capable of producing the required measurements of contaminant concentration in a very short period of time (~ one day), with a single downhole tool operated by a typical two-person geophysical logging team. The immediate availability of contamination concentrations further accelerates the environmental consultant’s decision-making processes on whether to take more specific fluid samples from certain zones of interest. In this sector, the proposed technology will enable direct detection and measure the concentration of dissolved organic contaminants in-situ, reducing the dependence on extensive laboratory tests and investigation-derived waste disposal and exposure. Moreover, the proposed technology can benefit the brine mining industry and be used for exploration and development of brine mining wells. In this sector, it will provide significantly lower overall project costs, thereby enabling more exploration and development to occur, at lower economic risk to critical mineral mining concerns.