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Content archived on 2024-05-07

Hydrocarbon Sensor (EWALD)

Objective



We propose research on, and development of, a highly sensitive sensor for online and in-situ monitoring of hydrocarbons in waste water. The sensor is based on a spectroscopic technique.

Analytes like chlorinated and polycyclic hydrocarbons are of importance for waste water treatment, as can be taken for instance from the 76/464/EEC list of substances that should be monitored in effluent discharges to the aquatic environment. The proposed research aims at providing a new sensor technique that promises to fulfil the technical and economical needs.

The sensor makes use of Evanescent Wave Attenuation with Laser Diodes (Hence their name EWALD sensors). The analytes are detected sensitively and selectively by their fingerprint absorption in the Mid Infrared. The molecules to be monitored diffuse into a very thin polymer layer, which is part of a waveguide, thus the light path is separated from the waste water itself and the sensor head can be immersed directly into the effluents.

The sensor principle of absorption is elementary and thus leads to simple and reliable technical solutions. It works with different kinds of analytes, so that it can be used quite universally. It had been demonstrated previously with classical multimode fibre optics, where a limit of detection of 50 ppb C2CI4 in water was obtained in the laboratory. The proposed project aims at increasing the sensitivity of such sensors vastly by at least two orders of magnitude.
The work program contains all scientific and technical steps for obtaining such novel EWALD sensors and for validating them for waste water monitoring.

Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Call for proposal

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Funding Scheme

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CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V.
EU contribution
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Address
Heidenhofstrasse 8
79110 FREIBURG (IN BREISGAU)
Germany

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Total cost

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Participants (3)

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