An electronic nose to identify oil spills
An electronic nose to identify oil spills
Specialists from the Department of Analytical Chemistry of the University of Cádiz (UCA) (Spain) have developed a technique that identifies oil spills quickly, cleanly and cheaply. With a mathematical system they train electronic equipment that works like a human nose, which detects the type of pollutant in ten minutes. Its use does not require very specialized training, which facilitates its management. Currently it can be put into practice, and soon more manageable models could come onto the market, which will examine the fluids in the same place where they are.
The work consisted in developing odorous fingerprints, in order to identify different hydrocarbon discharges, such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene or lubricating oils, in different aqueous states. These prints are like photographs of the aroma that the samples present. Instead of having a physical image you get the essence. It is a way of visualizing it so that it is easily recognizable, explains the scientist of the UCA, Marta Ferreiro. Therefore, it does not require a great specialization to interpret it, but any person with a basic training would locate the snapshots by comparison.
The techniques used detect volatile organic compounds, which are what give rise to the aromas. The procedure is based on the creation of headspace coupled to a mass detector, that is, a kind of electronic nose that works just like a human.
For this, they have taken samples of fresh and salt water, to which different hydrocarbons have been added. They tried to collect most possible and real situations and then analyze them with the electronic nose. This is managed with a series of mathematical patterns and models. "It works like a memory brain so that, in the face of unknown samples, the team will be able to tell us what kind of fuel it is," the expert says.
Researchers have found smelly fingerprints to identify different hydrocarbon spills in waters. (Photo: University of Cádiz)
The main objectives of this study, published in the magazine Fuel, focus on determining the type of spill quickly to proceed with its cleaning as quickly as well as to locate who has produced that spill, an illegal practice. In this sense, the investigation is focused on the forensic terrain.
With all the data collected a memory is created. Specifically, a mathematical model of pattern recognition. As a result, odorous fingerprints are obtained that accurately determine the fuel. The device must be trained constantly, so that it covers the greatest number of situations and can be applied in a wide range of real contexts, says Dr. Ferreiro.
That memory that is taught to the electronic nose consists of mathematical functions, which transform the analytical signal into a photo or trace that could be easily interpreted, and that directly indicates the type of fuel that has been poured. Regarding the training of the device, it must be constantly updated with new hydrocarbons.
Among the advantages of this technique are its speed. "We have optimized the method and in only 10 or 15 minutes we have the answer," says the teacher who adds that if compared to traditional practices, it is an important step forward. The latter take hours and use very complex equipment. In addition, it needs the specialization of the person who carries out the analysis to interpret the results, while the one proposed by the University of Cádiz is objective, automatic and requires minimal training.
This circumstance makes it possible to act almost at the same moment in which the spill occurs to proceed to its cleaning quickly, knowing the substances that have to be applied to be effective.
The system is clean by not using solvents and does not produce any type of residue, as it happens with those that until now were used. In addition, its cost is very cheap and the fact of creating those fingerprints, which are like photos, makes identification very easy, without requiring a person specialized in chemical analysis, since it finds out the type of sample automatically.
Currently, there are portable devices where, if the methods developed by the Department of Analytical Chemistry of the UCA are applied, the analysis could be performed in situ, in the same place as the spill, which would accelerate the process of detection of the type of hydrocarbon and the procedure to clean it. It is necessary to develop methods with these devices, creating that memory and validating it in real and complex situations, which requires time. Even so, in three months they would be prepared and available to the institutions that need it.
Regarding the discovery of the causer, if there are suspicions of certain ships that may have passed through the area where it happened, a sample of the fuel used will be taken and compared with that of the contaminated area. "At the laboratory level, what we propose is a reliable analysis to be able to identify the type of waste in question," says Ferreiro.
If in the future this procedure were applied at the official level, it would proceed to examine the ships that have passed through that route, and compare the fuel they use with the smelly fingerprint of the propagated element to see if they coincide. Even, as a preventive rule, the hydrocarbon of each ship could be certified before sailing from the port of origin so that, in the event of a depletion, the author will be located almost immediately, making a consultation on a base of common data.
According to the scientist, since on many occasions the spills are made intentionally, to avoid the fees that have to be paid for cleaning the tanks in port, the fact that with this method the author is detected, you may think twice times before doing it in international waters in the middle of the ocean, when nobody sees them.
The study, which is in the laboratory phase, has been funded by the University of Cádiz through its own plan, within a call to fund projects of young researchers. (Source: Discover Foundation)
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