Optical sensing monitoring

During the past few years, optical sensing, particularly in the Vis/NIR/SWIR spectral ranges, has demonstrated its feasibility for the detection, identification and even quantification of chemical compounds in wastewaters. This set of techniques avoids most of the drawbacks that traditional analytic methods show, namely high cost and the inability to offer a close to real-time response. The recent availability of low-cost optical detectors and suitable illuminants enables the development of tailored sensors for monitoring different wastewater parameters.

INCOVER is completely aligned with this trend, as tailored optical sensing based on low-cost multi-wavelength photodiodes and active illumination will be developed and validated for the quantification of PHA and organic compounds. This monitoring hardware will feed an online operation system based on machine learning algorithms (e.g. PLS and/or SVM) that will improve and sustain the efficiency of the bioprocesses.

This approach offers a cost-effective solution to the current need for online on-site measurement techniques on wastewater, while improving the sensitivity, precision and accuracy delivered by commercial spectrometers, which are devices mainly designed for laboratory use.