iMERMAID – Innovative solutions for Mediterranean ecosystem remediation via monitoring and decontamination from chemical pollution

Project goal: This project involves multidisciplinary integration and coordination of innovative remediation solutions and pollution monitoring technologies whose ultimate goal is to safeguard the Mediterranean Sea by identifying pollution sources and preventing the accumulation of pollutants.

About the project: The main role of BioSense Institute in this project is to design, build, and test a portable oil sensor system based on membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) to be used for pilot testing in the Mediterranean Sea. The main components of the system will include a membrane sample inlet, high sensitivity ion source, quadrupole mass analyzer, dual detector (Faraday and electron multiplier), electronic control unit (ECU), and a vacuum system consisting of diaphragm and turbomolecular pumps. A novel membrane inlet will be simulated, designed, manufactured, and tested to separate molecules of petroleum hydrocarbons and dissolved gases in water. The inlet will be in the form of a custom-built probe with a sheet membrane that will provide high sensitivity without water leaks and memory effects. After the system integration, functionality and calibration tests will be performed for the most common toxic hydrocarbons (e.g., BTX) and sunscreen agents (e.g., oxybenzone). Capability tests will also be done using samples from the monitoring platform in the Mediterranean Sea and benchmarked against GC/MS.

BioSense role on the project: The main role of BioSense in the iMERMAID project is to design, build, test and optimize an oil sensor based on portable membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) for in-field detection of toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in seawater in the Mediterranean Sea. These VOCs can occur in seawater due to oil spills (e.g., crude oil hydrocarbons) or due to human contamination (e.g., chlorinated hydrocarbons) and they can have long-term impact on the aquatic environment. The instrument must meet robustness, stability, reliability and repeatability in harsh environments and must be demonstrated in at least two pilot sites in Cyprus such as ports and buoy in the open sea.