WTI

An Autonomous & Self-Sustained Sensing System to Monitor Water Quality

Primary Investigator Contact Information

External Project Contact(s)

Report(s)

There are no reports associated with this project.

Project Objective

The objective of the project is to design and develop an autonomous, in situ, self-sustained water quality monitoring system for safe, reliable, timely, and efficient measurements of water samples near highways to assess impacts of highway construction and operations.

Project Abstract

As a major source of the non-point source pollution, highway runoff has adverse effects on the adjacent aquatic resources if no measures are taken to remove the excessive contaminants accumulated from highway construction, operation and maintenance. Highway runoff often carries sediments, nutrients, heavy metals, petroleum-related compounds, deicers and other chemicals before it reaches the receiving water body. To comply with water quality regulations and minimize adverse environmental impacts of highway operations, state departments of transportation need accurate and cost-effective methods to monitor water quality along roadways. A multi-disciplinary team from Montana State University is developing a self-sustained system, using novel devices (such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs)), in conjunction with sensors, microcontrollers and transceivers, to in situ monitor and collect real-time measurements for continuous water quality monitoring. The system will be capable of measuring chloride, pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature for the specified location. The project will be conducted in multiple stages. Stage 1 (Tasks 1-6 below) will consist of overall system design, as well as design and selection of each component. In Stage 2 (Tasks 7-9), the team will move on to fabrication of components, and in Stage 3 (Tasks 10-11), assembly and testing of the system.

Task Descriptions

1. Selection and Power Requirements Analysis of Water Quality Sensors
   1. Researchers will select commercially available sensors, and analyze their power requirements in order to design the MFCs and the power inverter.
2. Selection and Power Requirements Analysis of Telecommunications Devices
   1. Researchers will select off-the-shelf communication devices, and analyze their power requirements in order to design the MFCs and the power inverter.
3. Selection and Power Requirements Analysis of the Microprocessor
   1. Researchers will select a microprocessor to manage data flow from the sensors to the communication devices, and design electronics associated with the microprocessor. They will also analyze the power requirements of these elements in order to design the MFCs and the power inverter.
4. Design of Data Systems
   1. Researchers will develop a system for collecting and transmitting data from the sensors, as well as a system for receiving the data. They will also design the microprocessor code needed to read data from these systems.
5. Design of Novel Microbial Fuel Cells
   1. The team will select and design MFCs that can deliver adequate levels of renewable current in the aqueous field environment along highways. To ensure continuous monitoring of water quality, researchers will connect multiple MFCs in series or in parallel in order to boost the overall output.
6. Design of the Power Converter
   1. Researchers will design a power converter to regulate voltage of the MFS to provide a stable and accurate DC voltage to the data receiving and transmitting system. The converter will be designed to meet energy efficiency, cost, and transient performance requirements.
7. Construction and Testing of the Fuel Cells
   1. Researchers will build an array of MFCs based on earlier analysis. The team will test the potential output, current output, and capacity of single MFCs and arrays of MFCs, and test their performance under simulated field conditions.
8. Construction and Testing of the Power Converter
   1. The team will construct the power converter, and test its accuracy and efficiency at different supply voltages and loading conditions.
9. Construction and Testing of the Data Systems
   1. Researchers will build and test the data collecting system and transmitting system, and the data receiving system. Using water samples collected from water bodies near highways in Bozeman, Montana, researchers will use traditional measurement tools to compare results with the data received by the automatic collection and receiving system.
10. System Integration and Testing in the Laboratory
    1. Researchers will assemble the entire system and test it in WTI’s Corrosion and Electrochemistry Laboratory, using water samples collected from rivers close to Bozeman, Montana highways.
11. Field Evaluation and Refinement of the System
    1. With the assistance of one or two state departments of transportation, researchers will conduct field tests of the system in water bodies close to highways. The system will be refined if problems are identified in the field.

Milestones, Dates, Schedule

Student Involvement

True

Relationship to Other Research Projects

False

Technology Transfer Activities

True

Transportation Research Board Keywords

Water quality monitoring, highway run-off, non-point source pollution

Partners

Transportation Research Board (NCHRP IDEA program), Montana Department of Transportation, Washington Department of Transportation, New York Department of Transportation