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Issue link: http://wateronline.epubxp.com/i/255370
Instrumentation the thinnest [material] ever but also the strongest," stated the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, presenters of the Nobel. The Academy also noted that graphene conducts heat better than all known materials and conducts electricity at least as well as copper. Graphene's potential for electronics was recognized from the start, as it was predicted to make transistors that are significantly faster than today's silicon transistors. Using this knowledge as foundation, inventors at the Water Equipment and Policy Research Center (WEP) — established in 2010, the same year graphene earned the Nobel — set out to create a real-time, "intelligent" sensor for water/wastewater quality and control. Dr. Junhong Chen is leading the research, working with his colleagues in the WEP network. Based in Milwaukee, WEP includes two universities (UWM and Marquette), as well as seven industry members, six of businesses (A.O. Smith, Badger Meter, Baker Manufacturing, Pentair, and Marmon Water), a consulting company (Gannett Fleming), and the local municipality (Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District). The result is what Chen called a "revolution for water-related equipment" — graphene oxide (GO) field-effect transistor (FET) sensors. According to UWM, the new sensors offer the following advantages over current technology: • Faster — Rapid response for real-time monitoring • Highly sensitive — Detection of E. coli 0157:H7 concentrations down to 1 CFU (colony-forming unit) per mL • Scalable — Fabrication can be scaled up with good reproducibility/high electrical stability • Inexpensive — Materials for fabrication are relatively inexpensive • In situ detection — Sensors can be placed directly in the water system. "You can stick the sensor onto anything to tell you what's in the water," Chen projected. Right now, the technology has been proven for E. coli, which is first on the docket for real-world application. Chen estimates that it will be a year or more before reaching that point, with sensors for the detection of heavy metal ions to follow. Now that the science has been established, however, realizing this soon-to-be transformative technology is inevitable. The progress could be hastened by additional funding — the National Science Foundation and the EPA, for instance, have programs to support innovation — and there is surely a host of competitors worldwide striving toward the same goal. "I would say everybody would be willing to invest in this technology," said Chen. Market Impact Drinking water utilities may be the first to see benefit from real-time sensors, but the technology is destined to have far-reaching effects. The food and beverage industries, with so many of their products containing water, would be obvious beneficiaries. Applications in the medical field have the capacity to improve care and save lives (the technology can be adapted to any liquid — even within the human body). Real- time sensing will enable pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), which release a vast array of hard-to-detect "emerging contaminants" into the environment, to be spotted and controlled much more easily. Wastewater treatment facilities will be able to monitor the effectiveness of their filtration and treatment systems by detecting contaminant breakthroughs anywhere in the system. Naturally, the companies who produce monitoring and instrumentation equipment are among those who see great potential. Fred Begale, VP of engineering for Badger Meter, called real-time sensing "the next paradigm" for water technology. "First it was metering, 50+ years ago, and then communications came along about 15 years ago," said Begale. "In the last few years, we've seen the advancement of analytics- based software such as district metering and leak detection. The next stage will be real-time sensing mechanisms to maintain and support all those elements more precisely." As a WEP member, Badger Meter shares the intellectual property rights of the technology being developed, so it may have a leg up on the competition. "If I could provide automation that also gives utilities insight into their water quality, that's a big deal," Begale explained. "It doesn't mean that other companies aren't looking at this as well and working on it in their own space," he added. Truly transcendent technologies, after all, are nearly impossible to contain. Once the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, the technology — and the world of capabilities it enables — will surely be shared by many, and to the benefit of nearly every citizen. While the revolution isn't upon us quite yet, the evolution that precedes it is well underway. 13 Drinking water utilities may be the first to see benefit from real- time sensors, but the technology is destined to have far-reaching impact. wateronline.com ■ Water Online The Magazine 1 2 V E R T _ 0 2 1 4 E Z i n e _ K W _ D G . i n d d 2 12VERT_0214 EZine_KW_DG.indd 2 1 / 3 1 / 2 0 1 4 1 : 0 4 : 0 0 P M 1/31/2014 1:04:00 PM