Request for Proposals for Funds from British Petroleum, Inc. (BP)
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Prevention, Response and Recovery Grants Program
Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO)
The Gulf of Mexico is a substantial economic asset to the State of Florida. From tourism to the fishing industry, this vital natural resource generates almost $526B annually. With over 1800 miles of coastline and pristine beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, more than 3800 oil drilling rigs in the Gulf, and 11,000 tankers traversing the State's adjacent waters annually, the State of Florida is exposed to substantial oil-spill risk. It is crucial to mitigate such risk to protect Florida's economy, environmentally sensitive coastal habitats, and coastal communities.
The Deepwater Horizon incident has made clear the need for a robust system of monitoring Gulf oil spills and their unique impacts on Florida. FIO is responding to address these urgent needs.
BP has awarded a grant of 10 million dollars for immediate research projects to be conducted by FIO-related institutions. BP's Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GRI) is providing funding to focus on "the fate and effects of oil, dispersed oil, and dispersant on the ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico and affected coastal states in a broad context of improving fundamental understanding of environmental stresses. This also includes improved spill mitigation, oil detection, characterization and remediation technologies. The ultimate goal of the research efforts will be to improve society's ability to mitigate the impacts of hydrocarbon pollution and other stressors of the marine environment, with an emphasis on conditions found in the Gulf of Mexico."
Name
Jing Wang, Electrical Engineering
Looking to Partner? Or looking for a Partner?
Looking to Partner
Email Contact
jingw@eng.usf.edu
Relevant area of interest/expertise
Field-deployable portable underwater mass spectrometer systems for in situ analysis and monitoring of marine environment
Other Information
The goal of the proposed project is to develop field-deployable portable underwater mass spectrometer systems for in situ analysis and monitoring of marine environment.
In situ chemical analyzers are in demand for environmental monitoring and ocean observing systems to evaluate the environment impacts of the oil spill. In marine science, this demand is even higher as chemical drains into water bodies are often undetected; consequently, their effect on maritime life is not well understood. Currently available low-cost chemical sensors, however, are limited in their sensitivity, specificity, and versatility. Among the techniques used in modern elemental and molecular analysis, none surpasses mass spectrometry in analytical access to elements, isotopes, and complex molecules. Unfortunately, commercially available mass spectrometers are costly instruments, are typically limited to sequential analysis of samples, and are not readily adaptable for use in the field.
Microfabricated mass spectrometers can provide increased sensitivity, dynamic range, and versatility of operation. The goal of the proposed work is to demonstrate a new class of portable, low-cost, versatile chemical analyzers that surpass the sensitivity and specificity of conventional laboratory mass spectrometers, while reducing analysis time by operating an array of miniaturized devices in parallel. The proposed work will demonstrate the potential of MEMS fabrication methods to create highly sensitive field-deployable mass spectrometers for in situ chemical analyses. Further, we will test a new mode of operation (parallel analysis) to increase the versatility and speed of mass spectrometer analysis to enable prompt and low-cost assessment of the environmental impacts of the recent oil spill.
Our team assembled for the technical development portion of this project brings a wealth of experience in mass spectrometer design and construction, development and use of field-deployable mass spectrometers, novel fabrication methods of ion traps and ion trap arrays, and MEMS processing and material science. Researchers from USF will collaborate with their colleagues from the Chemical Sensors Group at SRI International, St. Petersburg, FL, under the Marine Technology Program. In addition, SRI and USF have recently been awarded by NSF to conduct basic research in development of a high-density cylindrical ion trap array mass spectrometer using microfabrication techniques (http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0923977). In the meantime, we have started in pursuing some collaboration with researchers from College of Marine Science, USF.
We would be interested in partnering with someone who has a similar interest and knows something about the in-situ chemical analysis needed for diagnosis and assess of the environment impacts of the oil spill as well as issues related to field deployment of chemical sensors for in-situ ocean monitoring.
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