Other

Burge Environmental, Inc.

Colorado State University Research Foundation

S3nse Technologies Inc.

Scott R Burge

David A Hoffman

Russell W Burge

Thomas C Sale

Kayvan Karimi Askarani

William Samuel Gallo

Russell G Burge

A microbial sensor, system and method that can be used to determine the chemical environment and/or substrate concentrations in saturated and unsaturated natural and environments, such as soils, aquifers and sediments are disclosed. The system may be used for monitoring municipal and industrial treatment facilities and sites where chemicals or contaminants were released to natural environments. The electrochemical microbial sensor system can be referenced using either a cathode exposed to oxygen or a reference cell (silver/silver chloride or calomel) for monitoring natural or man-made environments.

Electrochemical microbial sensor system and method of using same

Methods and systems for monitoring microbial activity and microbial communication in an environment are disclosed. Exemplary methods include measuring a high impedance voltage between a reference electrode and one or more measurement electrodes to monitor microbial activity. Microorganisms form a biofilm that attaches to at least one of the one or more inert measurement electrodes and that allows for measuring the microbial activity, characterizing the environment, and/or monitoring microbial communication in the environment.

Methods and systems for monitoring microbial activity and communication in an environment

A microbial sensor, system, and method that can be used to determine a chemical environment and/or substrate concentrations in anaerobic or aerobic environments, such as soils, sediments and ground waters, are disclosed. An exemplary system uses one or more (e.g., inert) measurement electrodes and a reference electrode. The reference electrode can include an electrode exposed to atmospheric oxygen (e.g., a cathode) or an electrode exposed to stable anaerobic or aerobic conditions. The exemplary microbial sensor system measures open-circuit voltage to characterize the chemical (oxidizing or reducing) environment and/or recovery voltage to measure substrate concentrations in the subsurface.

Microbial sensor system for the assessment of subsurface environments

A subsurface monitoring system and method is provided that includes a sensor array and a monitoring system in communication with the array. The sensor array may include several sensors, such as subsurface temperature sensors, water-level sensors, and oxidation reduction potential sensors may be disposed in a vertical and/or horizontal fence through the subsurface of the monitored site. The sensor array may measure, collect, and analyze the subsurface conditions and provide the measurements to a monitoring system. The monitoring system may provide access the measurements via a user interface for analysis of the measurements. In addition, the monitoring system may process the measurements to generate one or more graphs of information for better understanding of the conditions of the subsurface of the monitored site.

Devices and methods for measuring temperature, oxidation reduction potential, and water-level within a subsurface formation

A microbial sensor, system and method that can be used to determine the biochemical conditions of waters, saturated sediments, unsaturated soils, rhizosphere and other environments is disclosed. The flexibility of the microbial sensor design allows for the monitoring of surfaces (skin, ventilation conduits, etc.). An electrochemical microbial sensor system is composed of an indicator electrode(s) and a reference electrode. The reference electrode employs a hydrogen permeable membrane. The electrochemical system is interfaced into a signal/communication module allowing the manual or automated collection of data from field deployments and laboratory investigations. The data is transmitted using various communication technologies including Bluetooth&#x2122;, cellular, satellite and radio telemetry to cloud-based data management systems. The stored data may be downloaded by users using open-source dashboard and visualization software to image the various environments and/or surfaces investigated.

Microbial sensor system for monitoring the environment and surfaces

A microbial sensor, microbial sensing system, and method that can be used to determine the chemical environment of unsaturated soils, rhizosphere, and/or plants are disclosed. The microbial sensing system can be used for monitoring the health of plants including nutrients, salinity, contaminants, chemicals (pesticides, herbicides) and diseases. A microbial sensing system can include one or more indicator electrodes and a reference electrode. The microbial sensing system can include a signal acquisition and/or communication module to allow the real-time collection of data from field deployments and laboratory investigations.

Microbial sensor system for monitoring and imaging of an environment

An automated computer controlled ground water system for monitoring and analysis for an analyte, has a sampling device in a well casing with a valve and sensor to provide a predetermined sample volume, a treatment assembly to prepare a calibration standard, a calibration assembly to provide a standard of known concentration and volume, an analytical assembly to analyze for analyte concentration, and a communication system to receive analysis data and transmit it to a cognizant agency.

Automated ground water monitoring and analysis system

The invention simplifies the apparatus for the analysis of organic and inorganic compounds in solutions and atmospheres, or particulates in atmospheres. The apparatus supports molecular fluorescence and absorption analyses of trace environmental contaminants. The design of the apparatus allows for deployment within the confines of a monitoring well or other locations of limited access. The primary advantages are the easy replacement and configuration of excitation sources and detectors to configure a sample chamber for a particular analysis while using mininal volumes of sample or reagent. Miminizing the volume of reagent used is a very important consideration in automated field analyses. The invention uses light emitting diodes (LEDs) and photodetectors coupled to fiber optics to reduce the complexity and cost of the optics and electronics of the measurement components. The invention allows for the automation of sampling, sample preparation and analysis of environmental contaminants in natural waters and particulates in atmospheres, i.e. bacteria spores. The composition of the walls of the sample chamber determines the type of sample, natural water or atmosphere, that can be analyzed by the apparatus.

Simplified analytical apparatus for field deployable measurements of molecular absorbance and florescence

An improved optrode or chemical sensing device has a design and materials for enhanced analytical characteristics for detecting volatile compounds in atmospheres. Cost of manufacture is decreased, the life of the optrode is increased, and improved sensitivity and reproducibility of the results are provided.

Optrode for the detection of volatile chemicals

A lowerable-raisable ground water sampling device has an annular elastomeric seal for preventing the exchange of atmospheric gases with the ground water within a well casing. In its preferred form, the seal is a frusto-conical elastomeric disk mounted on the lower end of a water-extraction tube depending from the lower end of a water sampling unit. A fluid-actuator cylinder is floatable positioned on the tube for moving an annular wall structure downwardly against the disk upper surface, thus to decrease the cone angle of the frusto-conical surface to cause the outer edge of the disk to move out of sealing engagement with the well casing surface. When the fluid cylinder is depressurized, the frusto-conical disk automatically expands to seal against the well casing surface.

Ground water sampling unit having a fluid-operated seal

A sampling device for sealed positioning within the casing of a well contains a stripping chamber for stripping a ground water sample of its volatile compounds at or near the point of collection. In one embodiment, the stripping chamber includes a piston which is raised above the top surface of the sample to create a head space, and an injector for injecting inert gas into the sample, causing the volatile compounds to be released into the head space, whereupon they exit the chamber via a vapor outlet duct leading out of the well. In a second embodiment, the stripping chamber includes a tube having a sidewall formed of a semi-permeable membrane, and an injector which injects an inert gas into the bore of the tube. The device may also include a sensor mounted within the stripping chamber, and a valve for directing a calibration gas into the chamber.

Device for sampling and stripping volatile chemicals within wells

The ground-water sampler collects a time-averaged or composite sample of the ground water. The sampling system was designed to be self-contained and all sources of power being contained within the well casing. The sampler collects the sample on a sorptive media and the media analyzed by a laboratory. The sampling system prevents the exchange of gases between the ground water and the atmosphere. The exchange is prevented by a well packer which is designed to be placed in well casings of 2 inches or greater. The well packer can be easily and economically placed into the well casing with the use of a packer tool. The sampler is inserted into the well packer and once inserted a one-way check valve opens to the aquifer allowing the water to be sampled. After the sampling episode, the sampler is removed from the well packer and the one-way check valve closes. The media is then analyzed in a laboratory. In the alternative, the sorptive media unit can be replaced with chemical or physical analysis units making possible real-time analysis of the aquifer.

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Tempe, AZ, United States of America

Scott R Burge