SBIR-STTR Award

The primary objective of the proposed project is to develop innovative new analytical instrumentation and methodology capable of non destructive detection and identification of trace amounts of metals in contaminated soils. Once developed, the instrumentation and methodology could be interfaced with a reaction sample characterization before and after treatment. The project has been divided into two phases. Phase I consists primarily of research and design of the required instrumentation, which would subsequently be constructed and developed during Phase II. In this Phase I proposal, we propose to investigate the applicability of high-performance, high-energy Auger electron spectroscopy for the characterization of contaminated soil samples, and to design a custom instrument capable of producing two-dimensional images of the samples from the viewpoint of each element. This approach is promising for the examination of contaminated soils because Auger spectroscopy is particularly sensitive to high atomic number elements (such as heavy metals), and the use of high-energy Auger electrons allows selectivity from the lighter elements typically abundant in soils. Such instrumentation is not readily available, as it involves the application of some of the most recent advances in surface analysis.

The primary objective of the proposed project is to develop innovative new analytical instrumentation and methodology capable of non-destructive detection and identification of trace amounts of metals in soils. During the Phase I portion of this project, the feasibility of several different approaches were investigated, yielding a custom development strategy. In Phase II, we propose to implement this strategy, integrating multiple complementary electron microscopic and spectroscopic techniques in a single soil analysis instrument, providing exceptional analytical capability and ease of interpretation. Although the proposed instrument will be capable of performing extensive analyses of microscopic soil particles, the Phase II effort will emphasize components and methodologies which maximize the throughput of the instrument, allowing larger samples (~100g) to be efficiently characterized. Hardware and software will be developed such that only limited technical training will be required to operate it, with minimal operator intervention during analysis. Subsequent to the Phase II effort, additional prototypes will be developed of three general types: a) flexible, laboratory instrumentation interfaced with a reaction cell, allowing potential remediation procedures to be tested in conjunction with characterization before and after treatment; b) miniature, portable instrumentation for use in field analyses; and c) discrete components which can be combined with existing instruments.

Benefits:
The instrumentation and methodology to be developed in this project have many practical applications in materials characterization and analysis. The proposed instrumentation will be customized for application to environmental soils. Regulatory agencies and those involved in environmental clean-up should therefore benefit from the availability of such instrumentation.