SBIR-STTR Award

NEWTEC Remediation Services, Inc. recently field demonstrated a new technology for the wide area detection of UXO. The technique was originally developed for landmines, but works for all types of ordnance or associated explosive waste (EW) products. It depends on the leakage of explosives from UXO items, resulting in a concentration on the surface of the soil over the hazard. The detector of this subtle signal is a strain of benign soil bacteria that has been engineered to detect trinitrotoluene (TNT) and respond by producing a fluorescent protein, making a detectable fluorescent mark on the ground. Using a laser, the fluorescent emissions are detectable. The laser produces real-time imaging of the fluorescent signatures on the actual terrain in the field. New breakthroughs have occurred since the original field demonstration. Spectroscopic investigations showed that a new variant of the fluorescent protein gives better contrast between bacterial and background fluorescence, particularly in plants. Additional research has resulted in plants that emit a fluorescent protein expression. Plants offer an attractive complement to the bacterial vector since certain plants efficiently absorb ground based explosive chemicals through their root systems. The fluorescent protein is then expressed over the broad area of the plants leaf canopy. An airborne detection platform is the objective for the field deployment of this new technology.NEWTEC Remediation Services, Inc. is commercializing the use of fluorescent bioreporters in several fields-of-use (FOU's). The primary and near term goal is the detection of explosive hazards and waste at UXO sites, and the detection of landmines in other countries. The NEWTEC-RSI objective is the creation of site survey and soil characterization information to enhance the efficiency of UXO remediation projects for land reclamation and reutilization initiatives. We will also establish broad area detection information to promote demining operations for major infrastructure projects such as oil and gas pipelines, new roadways, and utility lines. A secondary, and a more highly visible global benefit, is the refinement of the process as an area reduction/wide area detection tool for humanitarian demining operations. NEWTEC-RSI with its growing family of biological and phyto-detection capabilities, will be able to expand into several additional market areas. These include, but are not limited to: Monitoring gas and oil pipelines for leaks; Phyto detection and remediation of chemicals; Industrial Security; Agricultural Crop Surveillance; Livestock Surveillance and Animal Healthcare; Bio-technical Medical Research and Pharmaceuticals; Base Realignment and Closure, and Formerly Used Defense Site Remediation

Keywords:
Uxo, Laser Fluorescence, Landmines, Bioreporters

NEWTEC Services Group, Inc. proposes that a safe, expedient, and cost effective means of reclaiming contaminated lands from landmines and UXO can be achieved through the implementation of engineered plant-based fluorescent bioreporters. This technology is based upon a previous microbial mine detection program, where microbes would excite and fluoresce in the presence of TNT vapors from UXO and landmine hazards in the soil. However, plants provide a much greater surface area in their leaves and stems for a brighter fluorescent signal generation, and their root systems accumulate the explosives from subsurface soils where they occur in much higher concentration. These added advantages will significantly increase the probability of detecting UXO, landmines and explosvie waste hazards from an airborne platform. The focus of the research effort is to generate and evaluate fluorescent signatures of genetically modified plants and tailor the plant(s) fluorescence to optimize the use of existing passive or active imaging technology from an airborne platform for the wide area detection of these hazards and concentrations in the field. With respect to UXO recovery programs and international humanitarian demining initiatives, the technology could assist in the discrimination of UXO areas and minefields through the identification of both patterns and random dispersals around specific structures that were targeted during previous conflicts or at test facilities and impact areas. Since landmines and UXO hazards are deployed randomly over long distances, and encircle small villages, bridges, RR lines and infrastructure sites (hydro-electric stations, power lines, oil & gas reserves and utilities), this technology expedites the detection and recovery of these hazards for humanitarian benefits and land reclamation/reutilization programs. Including the recovery of existing infrastructure, and facilitating access to new oil, gas, mineral resources and agricultural lands.

Keywords:
BIOSENSORS, EXPLOSIVES, UNEXPLODED ORDANCE (UXO), RECLAMATION, PHYTO REMEDIATION, LANDMINES