Spectral barcode label for fighting illegal waste dumps

Illegal waste dumping is one of the biggest problem in environment protection. Shipments of waste are left in wastelands, forests or dumped into the sea. These activities are difficult to suppress because technologies available to track the waste, and hence the people responsible, are very limited.(1) This research focuses on developing an effective, low-cost way of labelling and detecting bulk waste material shipments. The technology is based on an easily retrievable material in the form of micro/nano magnets which are used as carrier for the spectral signal transducers (e.g. dyes and pigments). These pigment carrying magnetic particles are chemically and physically stable, can form unique spectral pattern to use as identifier tag. The project is divided into two parts: (i) the modification of the magnet particles with various dyes and pigments to form spectral codes (ii) the development of analytical technique for code readout

Spectral barcode label for fighting illegal waste dumps

Illegal waste dumping is one of the biggest problem in environment protection. Shipments of waste are left in wastelands, forests or dumped into the sea. These activities are difficult to suppress because technologies available to track the waste, and hence the people responsible, are very limited.(1) This research focuses on developing an effective, low-cost way of labelling and detecting bulk waste material shipments. The technology is based on an easily retrievable material in the form of micro/nano magnets which are used as carrier for the spectral signal transducers (e.g. dyes and pigments). These pigment carrying magnetic particles are chemically and physically stable, can form unique spectral pattern to use as identifier tag. The project is divided into two parts: (i) the modification of the magnet particles with various dyes and pigments to form spectral codes (ii) the development of analytical technique for code readou

Photometric detection in flow analysis systems using integrated PEDDs

A novel inexpensive optical-sensing technique has been developed for colorimetric flow analysis. This sensing system employs two LEDs whereby one is used as the light source and the other as a light detector. The LED used as light detector is reverse biased with a 5-V supply so that the photocurrent generated by the incident light discharges the capacitance. Direct digital output is provided by a simple timer circuit that measures the time taken for this discharge process from 5 V (logic 1) to 1.7 V (logic 0). This sensing concept has been applied in flow analysis by constructing an optical flow cell with a pair of LEDs. Calibration of the integrated optical flow cell using a dye resulted in a linear response that obeys the Beer–Lambert law. The flow rate, dynamic range, sensitivity and limits of detection were investigated. The system was also used for pH determination in the range of pH 2.5–6.8 using bromocresol green (BCG). The pKa of BCG was successfully determined by this technique

Chemical event tracking using a low-cost wireless chemical sensing network

A recently developed low-cost light emitting diode (LED) chemical sensing technique is integrated with a Mica2Dot wireless communications platform to form a deployable wireless chemical event indicator network. The operation of the colorimetric sensing node has been evaluated to determine its reproducibility and limit of detection for an acidic airborne contaminant. A test-scale network of five similar chemical sensing nodes is deployed in a star communication topology at fixed points within a custom built Environmental Sensing Chamber (ESC). Presented data sets collected from the deployed wireless chemical sensor network (WCSN) show that during an acidic event scenario it is possible to track the plume speed and direction, and estimate the concentration of chemical plume by examining the collective sensor data relative to individual sensor node location within the monitored environment

Detection of nitrite by flow injection analysis using a novel paired emitter-detector diode (PEDD) as a photometric detector

An inexpensive flow injection analysis system for determining low concentration levels of nitrite employing the Griess reagent spectrophotometric method is reported. The novel photometric detector applied within this manifold is a highly sensitive, low cost, miniaturized light emitting diode (LED) based flow detector. This colorimetric detector employs two LEDs, operating one as a light source and the other as a light detector. The emitter LED is forward biased and the detector reverse biased. The emitter and detector LED had a λmax of 530 nm and 623 nm respectively. The emission spectrum of the emitter LED efficiently overlapped with the absorbance spectrum of 9 µM NO2 and Griess reagent complex. A simple timer circuit measures the time taken for the photocurrent generated by the emitter LED to discharge the detector LED from 5 V (logic 1) to 1.7 V (logic 0). The Griess reagent method employed for nitrite determination is based on the formation of an azo dye, the intensity of which is directly related to nitrite concentration. The linear range, reproducibility and limit of detection were investigated. Detection limits in the nanomolar range were achieved using the Paired Emitter-Detector Diode (PEDD) flow analysis device. For a comparative study the linear range and limit of detection were also investigated using a platewell reader. Higher sensitivity and improved precision were obtained from the PEDD compared to the commercially available plate well reader

Automatic reaction to a chemical event detected by a low-cost wireless chemical sensing network

A test-scale wireless chemical sensor network (WCSN) has been deployed within a controlled Environmental Chamber (EC). The combined signals from the WCSN were used to initiate a controllable response to the detected chemical event. When a particular sensor response pattern was obtained, a purging cycle was initiated. Sensor data were continuously checked against user-defined action limits, to determine if a chemical event had occurred. An acidic contaminant was used to demonstrate the response of the sensor network. Once the acid plume was simultaneously detected by a number of wireless chemical sensor nodes, an automatic response action, which was the purging of the EC with clean air, was initiated and maintained for a period of time until the WCSN indicated that normal status had been re-established

Wearable gas sensors

Wearable sensing applications have attracted much attention in recent years. The aim of the FP6 funded Proetex project is improving safety and efficiency of emergency personnel by developing integrated wearable sensor systems. This paper describes recent developments in the integration of sensing platforms into wearables for the continuous monitoring of environmentally harmful gases surrounding emergency personnel. Low-power miniature CO and CO2 sensors have been successfully integrated in a jacket collar and boot worn by emergency personnel. These sensors need to provide information about the level of gas in the surrounding environment without obstructing the activities of the wearer. This has been achieved by integrating special pockets on the jacket and boot of fire-fighters. Each sensor is attached to a sensing module for signal accommodation and data transfer. The sensor performance has been evaluated by simulation of real-life situations. These wearable gas sensors will dramatically improve personnel awareness of potential hazard and can function as a personal warning system. In this way, fire-fighter’s jacket and boot not only protect the wearer, but have a second function of providing valuable information on external hazards. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Science Foundation Ireland (07/CE/I1147) and the EU project FP6-2004-IST-4-026987. We also acknowledge contribution of University of Pisa (Italy), Zarlink Semiconductor (UK), and Diadora/Invicta Group (Italy)

Development of optical sensing system for detection of Fe ions using conductive polymer actuator based microfluidic pump

In this paper, we present a novel microfluidic optical sensing system by combining a low-power conductive polymer -based microfluidic pump and a microfluidic chip integrated with an optical sensor. A self priming microfluidic pump is developed using a polypyrrole. A microfluidic chip- optical detector module that contained an optical cuvette with LED and photo-diode optical sensing module was fabricated. Integration of the micro pump and the microfluidic chips complete the sensing system. The pump performance and its application in chemical analysis have been demonstrated in the detection of Fe ions

Textile-based wearable sensors for assisting sports performance

There is a need for wearable sensors to assess physiological signals and body kinematics during exercise. Such sensors need to be straightforward to use, and ideally the complete system integrated fully within a garment. This would allow wearers to monitor their progress as they undergo an exercise training programme without the need to attach external devices. This takes physiological monitoring into a more natural setting. By developing textile sensors the intelligence is integrated into a sports garment in an innocuous manner. A number of textile based sensors are presented here that have been integrated into garments for various sports applications

Wearable sensing application- carbon dioxide monitoring for emergency personnel using wearable sensors

The development of wearable sensing technologies is a great challenge which is being addressed by the Proetex FP6 project (www.proetex.org). Its main aim is the development of wearable sensors to improve the safety and efficiency of emergency personnel. This will be achieved by continuous, real-time monitoring of vital signs, posture, activity, and external hazards surrounding emergency workers. We report here the development of carbon dioxide (CO2) sensing boot by incorporating commercially available CO2 sensor with a wireless platform into the boot assembly. Carefully selected commercially available sensors have been tested. Some of the key characteristics of the selected sensors are high selectivity and sensitivity, robustness and the power demand. This paper discusses some of the results of CO2 sensor tests and sensor integration with wireless data transmission