Dec 13 2010
German researchers have devised a new technology for examining the purity of water constantly. In contrast to the periodic evaluation of water samples, the AquaBioTox scheme will generate a solution for the continual live validation of drinking water.
The central point of the system features a bio-sensor, which is responsive to various harmful substances, soon after exposure to it. The working of the system is based on a taster methodology. The drinking water is transferred from the major line through the sensor placed in a descending branching line and has two varied strains of mammalian cells and bacteria.
These minute bacteria have a larger area with rapid turnover and reacts to hazardous materials immediately. The mammalian exhibits the results, interacting with human organisms, and by carrying out various reactions in accordance to it.
According to Iris Trick, Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology, they have examined numerous classes of substances that are present in water and have found that their sensor responded to each of the materials. The microscopic organisms in the sensor were customized to generate a protein exhibiting red fluorescence. The fluorescence alters when it is encountered with hazardous materials.
Thomas Bernard, IOSB’s group manager stated that, the sensing device has a machine-learning methodology for historical data understanding of the normal chemical, physical, and biological parameters and when identifying any deviations in the normal pattern, it produces a warning signal. The bio-sensor is sensitive even to minute quantities of toxic materials.
Source: http://www.iosb.fraunhofer.de