Recipient Organization
OndaVia, Inc
26102 Eden Landing Rd. #1
Hayward,CA 94545
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Under this SBIR Phase 2 effort, OndaVia proposes to develop, prototype, validate, and commercialize an in-line, automated, semi-continuous instrument to monitor and measure the nitrogen cycle in water using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). This instrument reads from consumable cassettes containing OndaVia's proposed SERS detection reagents. Specifically, OndaVia will assemble and test a prototype analyzer for automated, quantitative analysis of ammonia and hydroxylamine in water. This innovative detection approach couples surface-enhanced Raman isotope-edited spectroscopy with colorimetric reactions to perform trace-level, quantitative nitrogen analysis in complex wastewater samples. The resulting approach avoids the stochastic effects seen in other SERS research, while overcoming limitations of colorimetry in complex field samples. This system will provide wastewater treatment operators and engineers with the data needed to optimize system performance. Optimization of system performance will reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving energy efficiency.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
5%
Applied
40%
Developmental
55%
Goals / Objectives
The overall objective for this Phase II SBIR project is to build an accurate, repeatable prototype analyzer for hydroxylamine and ammonia in wastewater treatment samples. This system will be tested by partners at trial sites in the San Francisco Bay Area.The first goal is to build and operate an automated system capable of simultaneous ammonia and hydroxylamine analysis using real-world samples. These samples will be obtained from our project partners. Our goal will combine the systems and knowledge gained during the Phase I efforts into a prototype system for internal development and experimentation on real-world samples. The primary goal is to perform autonomous ammonia and hydroxylamine analysis at a 5-ppb LOD in real-world samples containing 1-ppm ammonia with a standard error on the mean of 20% over a one-week period with hourly testing in real-world wastewater samples.The second goal will address reagent limitations, with increased manufacturing capacity. Our reagents require improved packaging that can be delivered and installed in the field. By addressing manufacturing concerns before producing a commercial prototype, we can identify potential limitations before field trials start.A first prototype will be installed at a wastewater treatment plant. The goal is to measure ammonia and hydroxylamine each with 20% error (defined as standard deviation on the mean).The second prototype system will be delivered to a wastewater treatment plant. The objective is to measure ammonia and hydroxylamine each with 20% error.These four goals will provide OndaVia with the data needed for product commercialization in Phase III.
Project Methods
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy has attracted tremendous interest for its potential for ultrasensitive analytical and bioanalytical applications (Carron 1986, Golab 1988, Carron 1991, Carron 1991, Mullen 1991, Carron 1992, Mullen 1992, Heyns 1994, Mullen 1994, Carron 1995, Crane 1995, Deschaines 1997, Kennedy 1997, Sulk 1999, Sulk 1999, Kim 2006, Hering 2008, Hudson 2009, Yoon 2010); however due the low Raman activity of many targets of health relevance (Doering 2003, Knopp 2009) and the lack of reproducibility with conventional strategies, SERS has produced very limited practical applications. To achieve commercial success, OndaVia proposes two novel approaches that address these concerns. The first approach is the adaptation to SERS of common colorimetry/spectrophotometry protocols. The second innovation is the inclusion of an internal standard for precise, reliable quantitation.Colorimetric Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (C-SERS™)For a multitude of relevant targets, many colorimetric dyes have a strong Raman cross section and a strong affinity for gold or silver nanoparticles. SERS, being a surface effect, where the enhancement only occurs for chemical bonds within ten nanometers of the substrate (Pavel 2008), highlights the structural changes due to the colorimetric reaction. An advantage of C-SERS when compared to the equivalent colorimetric test is the robustness toward interfering compounds as it provides insight into the dye structural changes. As an example, the standard colorimetric test for aldehydes reacts to the three short-chain aldehdyes (C1-C3)--all three generating a blue color, with intensities that depend on the aldehyde. Using C-SERS, we are able to identify the specific aldehyde as it reacts, providing speciation data that is not possible with colorimetry.Surface-Enhanced Raman Isotope-Edited Spectroscopy (SERIES™)The second approach addresses the Achilles' heel of SERS substrates: a lack of reproducibility, within a batch and from batch-to-batch (Perera 2010). To be considered quantitative, SERS substrates need to provide accurate, consistent, and reliable results. Our innovation bridges this critical gap by employing an internal standard, specifically an isotopologue--a molecule with the same elements as the target analyte--but with atoms replaced by less naturally-abundant isotopes. This change affects the mass of the oscillator while keeping the surface interaction as consistent as possible; therefore the vibrational spectrum is changed but the molecule acts behaves as similarly to the desired analyte as possible (Perera et al. 2010, Zrimsek 2016). The use of an isotopologue internal standard to build a quantitative and reliable SERS-based monitoring solution is unique (Peterman 2018) and has not been previously applied to ammonia or hydroxylamine.An internal standard also leads to a reduction of false positives and an improvement in the limit of detection. When the internal standard is not observed, the instrument can flag the experiment, suggesting an error in the procedure or sample preparation. Random variations in signal strength due to stochastic sample-substrate interactions are accounted for using an isotopologue as the reference signal. This noise mitigation improves the signal-to-noise ratio and in turn, the limit of detection.