Biosensor for remote monitoring of airborne toxins

George K. Knopf; Amarjeet S. Bassi; Shikha Singh; Roslyn Macleod

doi:10.1117/12.372852

21 December 1999 Biosensor for remote monitoring of airborne toxins

George K. Knopf, Amarjeet S. Bassi, Shikha Singh, Roslyn Macleod

Proceedings Volume 3853, Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technologies II; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.372852
Event: Photonics East '99, 1999, Boston, MA, United States

Abstract

The rapid detection of toxic contaminants released into the air by chemical processing facilities is a high priority for many manufacturers. This paper describes a novel biosensor for the remote monitoring of toxic sites. The proposed biosensor is a measurement system that employs immobilized luminescent Vibrio fisheri bacteria to detect airborne contaminants. The presence of toxic chemicals will lead to a detectable decrease in the intensity of light produced by the bacteria. Both cellular and environmental factors control the bioluminescence of these bacteria. Important design factors are the appropriate cell growth media, environmental toxicity, oxygen and cell concentrations. The luminescent bacteria are immobilized on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gels and placed inside a specially constructed, miniature flow cell which houses a transducer, power source, and transmitter to convert the light signal information into radio frequencies that are picked up by a receiver at a remote location. The biosensor prototype is designed to function either as a single unit mounted on an exploratory robot or numerous units spatially distributed throughout a contaminated environment for remote sensing applications.

Citation Download Citation

George K. Knopf, Amarjeet S. Bassi, Shikha Singh, and Roslyn Macleod "Biosensor for remote monitoring of airborne toxins", Proc. SPIE 3853, Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technologies II, (21 December 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.372852

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