Fiber optic NIR evanescent wave absorption sensor systems for in situ monitoring of hydrocarbon compounds in waste and ground water

In situ measurements with the prototype of a portable fiber-optic sensor system for the monitoring of nonpolar hydrocarbons (HC) in ground water or industrial waste water are presented. This sensor system can be used for quantitative in situ analysis of pollutants such as aromatic solvents, fuels, mineral oils or chlorinated HCs in a broad concentration range from around 200 mu g . L-1 up to a few 100 mg . L-1. The sensing principle is based on solid phase extraction of analyte molecules into a hydrophobic silicone cladding of a quartz glass optical fiber and the direct absorptiometric measurement of the extracted species in the polymer through the evanescent wave. The sensor can be connected via all-silica fibers with a length of up to 100 m to a filter photometer developed at the IFIA thus allowing even remote analysis in monitoring wells. This instrument provides a sum concentration signal of the extracted organic compounds by measuring the integral absorption at the C-H overtone bands in the near-infrared spectral range. In situ measurements with the sensor system were performed in a ground water circulation well at the VEGAS research facility (Universitat Stuttgart). Here, the sensor proved to trace the HC sum concentration of xylene isomers in process water pumped from the well to a stripper column. In further experiments the sensor was combined with an oil sampling device and was tested with simulated waste waters of a commercial vehicle plant contaminated with different types of mineral oil. In this case the sensor system was able to detect the presence of mineral oil films floating on water or oil-in-water emulsions with concentrations > 20 ppm (v/v) within a few minutes.