SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project will develop phage-based colorimetric sensors to provide cost-effective, low-powered detection and quantification of natural gas. Currently, there is no technology that can reliably detect early natural gas leaks on-site in real-time; existing solutions are either not sensitive enough (handheld infra-red detector) or too bulky (gas chromatography). In the United States alone, almost $3 billion in annual losses results from natural gas leak related disasters ($900 million from lost gas, $2 billion from downstream environmental cost, and $80 million from property damage); the number will only grow with the aging of an estimated three million miles of pipelines in the country. The proposed sensor will offer a selective, yet portable sensing capability for improving natural gas leak detection. Assuming widespread implementation of the phage-based sensor, the anticipated domestic market size is over $60 million initially. In addition, our proposed sensor system has the potential to be designed to rapidly share sensing results through existing telecommunication networks, and thereby reduce the losses due to natural gas leaks. This also has downstream implications in terms of geomapping of methane emission levels, as well as improving pipeline safety. The intellectual merit of this project is to create a sensor platform that can rapidly develop gas sensor matrices based on engineered M13 bacteriophage (phage). The properties of the sensor, based on highly specific peptide receptors and broadly reactive surface chemistries, are a big advantage over existing colorimetric sensors that require complex synthetic methods in order to incorporate selective elements. This project intends to create a new type of engineered bacteriophage with the capability to display color matrix arrays that can detect and measure components of natural gas. Recognition software that can quickly decipher the phage color change associated with the presence of methane will also be developed through principal component analysis. Finally, initial feasibility tests will be conducted on the phage film to analyze sensor response in isolated operating conditions. The anticipated technical results for this project are the creation of prototype sensor matrix to distinguish methane gas molecules and a corresponding smartphone-based reader and algorithm. These outcomes are vital to the determination of sensor limitations and scalability requirements.

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project aims to develop a sensor with the ability to provide an accurate, small, cost-effective, and low-power device for the detection and quantification of natural gas. The current U.S. industrial natural gas leak detector market is estimated to be $325 million, while the residential natural gas detector market exceeds $2 billion, both of which indicate the strong market potential of this technology. Phage-based colorimetric sensing is a new sensing mechanism, and has the potential to replace and improve detection across many applications. This project, if successful, will have a number of broader impacts. Firstly, 670 billion cubic feet (cf) of methane is leaked annually in the U.S. natural gas industry. Better monitoring and recapturing of the lost gas will result in less reliance on imported gas (3 trillion cf in 2015), thus stimulating economic growth and reducing waste. Additionally, a new type of sensor that provides accurate, compact, inexpensive, and power-efficient natural gas monitoring with wireless communication capabilities will enable large scale natural gas emission monitoring studies, providing a tool for scientists and regulators. Finally, a reduction of methane emissions will help combat climate change, as methane is a powerful greenhouse gas.During the Phase I project, we have successfully fabricated colorimetric thin-film sensors, developed a data analysis algorithm, and shown our sensors are both consistent and selective against individual components of natural gas at industrially-suitable sensitivity. In Phase II, we will further improve the production and performance of the phage sensors. There are six objectives in this Phase II project. The first is to do sensor calibration using precise gas calibration instrumentation to improve sensor accuracy. Secondly, the sensors will undergo environmental stress testing to evaluate longevity. Third, a scale-up feasibility study will be undertaken to determine and optimize sensor cost. The fourth task involves the development of improved and more inexpensive sensor designs, while the fifth task will optimize the production process of the new sensor. The sixth objective involves a more comprehensive characterization of the sensor. It is anticipated that by the end of Phase II, we will have a precisely- calibrated gas sensor with data recognition algorithms, and an established and scalable manufacturing model, resulting in an improved colorimetric sensor development kit for natural gas that better meets customer needs in the field.