Water quality sensor on a faucet

Point of Use Water Quality Sensors

Team (Past, Present, & Future)

Postdoctoral Associates: 

Graduate Students: Kayla Fericy, Elizabeth Jacobia, Chelsea Middleton

Undergradutes: Shan Tang

Alumni:  Andrea Chavez-Muñoz, Sarah Kate Childs

Problem

  • Drinking water quality is measured when before it leaves the treatment plant and with grab sampling upon request by a consumer. This has led to many contaminates escaping detection until the problem has become an epidemic. Lab-on-a-chip devices that seek to operate at the point-of-use use reagents that reduce the ability for use outside of a lab. Present solutions in heavy metal detectors focus on changing the material used in detection increasing costs and limiting detector lifespan

Hypothesis & Methods

  • A chloroalkali like process can be used to generate high strength acids at the point of use from electricity, table salt and water. This can be combined with a control system to collect, dissolve lead scale and measure lead in drinking water the point-of-use.

Potential outcomes & impact

  • Electrochemical detection of heavy metals such as As, Pb, Cu, Cr at the point of use from municipal or well-water
  • Collection devices that can increase sampling by off-site labs at lower cost
  • Environmental water quality sensor to detect mine drainage, coal ash runoff 
  • Bio-marker assays

Publications, Presentations, & Patents

  1. Elizabeth R Jacobia & A-Andrew D. Jones, III Lead Dissolution in Various Solvent Conditions for Drinking Water Applications IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition Toronto, ON, CAN 08/11-15/2024
  2. Fericy, Kayla and Jones, A-A D. “Continuous At Home Water Sampling Device And Method Thereof” Invention Disclosure 63/521,999 Filed 6/20/2023
  3. Kayla Fericy, Sarah Kate Childs, and A-Andrew D. Jones, III Novel Approach for Sampling Water for Contamination to Reduce Costs and Burden on Marginalized Communities, AEESP Boston, MA 06/20-23/2023
  4. Elizabeth R Jacobia & A-Andrew D. Jones, III Acid Generation Using Electrolysis for Lead DissolutionAEESP Boston, MA 06/20-23/2023
  5. Andrea Chavez Muñoz  Production of Hydrochloric Acid Using Sodium Chloride Northeastern Research Innovation Scholarship Entreprenuership Virtual Expo 2021
  6. Jones, A-A D. and Chavez-Munoz, Andrea “Portable Acid Generating Device” Provisional Patent Application 63/174,314

Funding

  • National Science Foundation, Precision Microbiome Engineering Research Center
  • Sloan Scholars Mentoring Network Award with funds provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation