Fiona Regan Making sense of water pollution Research in the area of infrared optical sensors began in LIT in 1997.
Chlorinated hydrocarbons are major pollutants of ground, surface and drinking water.
Their origin can be traced to their use in industrial plants, household cleansers and research laboratories. The sparging method in use at LIT involves purging a sample with air to remove the analyte, and transfer of the analyte onto a polymer film. These sensing devices are robust and reusable. This work is a collaborative venture with Waterford Institute of Technology. These devices have shown the potential for determination of numerous chlorinated hydrocarbons simultaneously.