U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
| Project Information | ||
| Project ID: | FHWA-PROJ-13-0108 | |
| Project Name: | A Remote, Self-Sustained System for Monitoring Water Quality Near Highways | |
| Project Status: | Completed | |
| Start Date: | March 15, 2013 | |
| End Date: | August 15, 2015 | |
| Contact Information | ||
| Last Name: | Tchaou | |
| First Name: | Marcel | |
| Telephone: | 202-366-4196 | |
| E-mail: | marcel.tchaou@dot.gov | |
| Office: | HEPE | |
| Team: | Project Mitigation [HEPE-30] | |
| Program: | Exploratory Advanced Research | |
| Project detail | ||
| Project Description: | This research project will enable in situ monitoring of water quality near highways (e.g., stormwater runoff that occurs in the spring) by applying a self-organized and sustainable sensing system. After their first deployment, sensors can operate continuously for many years without the need for recharging or replacing batteries because they are powered by novel microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that harvest electricity through electrochemical reactions using bacteria, which are abundant in streams. The sensing system automatically measures the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water, periodically transmitting collected data wirelessly to a nearby base station and then on to a remote data center. This visionary technology takes advantage of technical breakthroughs found in the fields of MFCs, bioenergy harvesting, power regulation, data processing and management, sensor network, and wireless communication. | |
| Goals: |
The research activities include the design and development of:
(1) A microbial fuel cell (MFC) system that can deliver voltage up to 3.0 volts, current up to 25 milliamps, and capacity up to 2,400 milliamp-hours of renewable power in an aqueous environment.
(2) A power management system that regulates the power voltage generated from MFCs to provide a stable and accurate 5.0 volt, 100 milliamp DC battery that will support the data processing and communication systems.
(3) A control system that intelligently collects, processes, and transmits real-time water quality data.
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| Product Type: | Hardware Research report Software Technical report | |
| Test Methodology: | Laboratory testing | |
| Expected Benefits: | To extend the operational time of sensors deployed in streams without frequent recharging or replacing batteries, which would lead to significant benefits such as decreased maintenance costs, increased worker safety, and increased operational efficiency. | |
| Deliverables: | Name: (1) Remote sensing system.
(2) Final report. Product Type(s): Research report, Software, Hardware, Technical report Description: The remote sensing system will be powered by a microbial fuel cell- (MFC-) based, self-sustained power system and customized software for data collection and communication. A final report on the project will be prepared to summarize the research findings. | |
| FHWA Topics: | Environment--Natural Environment | |
| TRT Terms: | Water quality Remote sensing Fuel cells Runoff Research Technology Highways |
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| FHWA Disciplines: | None |
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| Subject Areas: | Environment Research |
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