Fiber Optic Biosensors

Abstract : Significant costs are associated with laboratory analyses of groundwater samples collected at Department of Defense (DoD) sites. Most of these samples are needed to characterize the nature and extent of contamination at a site, evaluate remedial system performance, and track contaminant plume migration via regularly scheduled monitoring events. There is need to replace laboratory analyses with reliable, easy-to-use field methods that produce real-time results. Colorado State University (CSU) has developed fiber-optic biosensors that are ideally suited for field monitoring of groundwater contaminants. Generally, a biosensor is a device that utilizes a biological recognition element (typically enzymes or antibodies) to sense the presence of an analyte and create a response that is converted by a transducer to an electrical or optical signal. The primary issue regarding the use of biosensors is reliability, i.e., are biosensor results comparable to laboratory analyses? The end user also needs to know whether there are conditions that affect the reliability of biosensor performance. Biosensors also need to be easy to use and calibrate so that reproducible results can be obtained from different users. The demonstration described in this document was designed to address these issues. The overall objective of the biosensor demonstration was to provide a basis to justify the use of biosensors to augment or replace conventional analytical methods for measuring selected compounds in groundwater.