ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING (in the eyes of a biologist)

JAN ROELOF VAN DER MEERUniversity of Lausanne

NANO-TERA MEETING MAY 5,2015

Environmental monitoring in the eyes of engineers…

NASA/JPL – Mars Rover

Me, myself and I

WHY ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING?

CHEMICAL EXPOSURE = HEALTH RISK

ENVIRON CHANGES = HABITAT DESTRUCTION

TRADITIONAL MONITORING

Specific locationSpecific sampleSpecific timeLab analysisInterpretation

SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING

https

://c

imss

.sse

c.w

isc.

edu/

satm

et/m

odul

es/

URBAN HEAT

DEEPWATER HORIZON SLICK

FOREST FIRES

CHALLENGES AND KEY ADVANCES

SAMPLING LOCATIONS• grids, ad hoc networks,

autonomous, passive, swarmsANALYSIS METHODS• biology, simpler, faster, precise

INTERPRETATION• models, data accessibility

NANO-TERA ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROJECTS

• CabTuRes: enabling autonomous sensors based on carbon nanotubules

• IrSens: Infrared sensing of atmospheric pollutants

• LiveSense: Biological sensor tools

• OpenSense: Network communication between sensors

• Xsense: wireless remote sensing of rock changes and avalanches

• OpenSense II: Crowdsourcing high-resolution air quality sensing

• IrSens II: A multicomponent sensor for air pollutants and greenhouse gases

• X-Sense II: MEMS acoustic detectors for natural hazard warning systems

• Envirobot: An anguilliform robot tracking environmental pollutants

As a comparative illustration:FP7 Ocean of Tomorrow projects

2013 call:• 12 collaborative projects

(~60 Mi €, 8-25 partners each)

Key topics:• Rapid sensors for pollutants, toxins, pathogens• Real-time and in-situ sensors, autonomous

platforms• Grid-based and ad hoc network sensing, data

communication

ADDING BIOLOGY TO THE ANALYSIS

LESS = MORE?

WHY BIOASSAYS?

Measuring heart beat rates of a crab

Picture: Ceri Lewis, Tamara Galloway

University of Exeter, UK

• Very difficult to correctly predict ecotox risks from chemical concentrations

• Use organisms to make an “integrative” measurement or to assay “bioavailability”

• Very difficult to interpret reactions from organisms

• Ethical concerns / regulations

DIFFERENT APPROACHES

• In situ examination of exposed organisms

• Exposure of model organisms under standardized conditions

• Use of cell cultures, single cell models

• Use of genetically engineered single cell model organisms

• Use of isolated biological components

Pictures: Eawag, UNIL, Uexeter, CSIC-CNB

REAL-TIME IN-SITU (BIO)SENSORS

ENVIROBOT(UNIL, EPFL, HES-SO, Eawag)

FP7-BRAAVOO(10 partners)

ENVIROBOT vs BRAAVOO• Flexible modules: different

exchangeable sensors• Limited space• Mobile system, operation 1 day

• Fixed set of sensors• Less space constraints• Fixed position• Operational for 1 month

SENSOR TYPES

General physical sensors: Temperature, camera, turbidityGeneral chemical sensors: pH, oxygenSpecific chemical targets: atrazine, lead, copperBiological sensors: general distress, mercury

General physical sensors: Temperature, turbidityGeneral chemical sensors: pH, oxygen, salinity, Biological sensors:

Bacteria: general distress, mercury, antibiotics, oilImmunosensors: algal toxins, pesticides, flame

retardantsAlgae: general distress to photosynthesis

En

vir

obot

BR

AAV

OO

ENVIROBOT’s BIOSENSORS

Daphnia movement chamber

Dav

id B

onzo

nEP

FL-L

MIS

4

Bacteria movement chamber

Clémence Roggo(UNIL)

Xenopus oocyte sensor

Beno

îte B

arge

ton

(UN

IL)

Dav

id B

onzo

n (E

PFL)

IMMUNOSENSORS

Mili

ca Jo

vic

(EPF

L)

Response to pentachlorophenol (in µg/L)

RAINBOW TROUT GILL CELLSResponse of the cells by impedance measurements. Very robust cells – lifetime = monthsActive at normal water temperatures (15-20°C).

Dat

a: V

ivia

n Lu

, Eaw

ag

Medium

R C

BENCHMARKING RAINBOW TROUT GILL CELLS

• 37 Priority chemicals being tested

• 9 wastewater treatment samples

• Exposed for 24 hours, gut cell impedance loss

Lake Zurich Tap water L15ex

Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3

Sample 4 Sample 5 Sample 6

Sample 7 Sample 8 Sample 9

Time

Dat

a: V

ivia

n Lu

, Eaw

ag

HOW GOOD ARE BIOASSAYS?

B. sartisoli PAH sensor

E. coli C6-C11 alkane sensor

E. coli BTEX sensor

SEAWATER CONCENTRATIONSCh

emic

al a

naly

sis

Bioa

vaila

ble

com

poun

dfo

r bio

repo

rter

cel

ls

Siha

m B

egga

h (U

NIL

)

AUTONOMOUS BACTERIA REPORTER CHIP

Siha

m B

egga

h (U

NIL

)

Cells are always ready and active for a sample measurement

Pressure-controlled valves

Day 2 Day 1

T20 min T3h10T1h50

Current chip design: operations up to 1 week

50 µg As/L

0 µg As/L

Siha

m B

egga

h (U

NIL

)

NEXT STEPS IN ENVIROBOT

• Sampling mission• Analysis mission

(physical and chemical sensors)

• Analysis mission (biological sensor)

• Self guidance

Mili

ca Jo

vic

(EPF

L)Al

essa

ndro

Cre

spi

(EPF

L)

Integrating biosensors into the robot modulesFrederic Truffer (HES-SO)

QUO VADIS “environmental monitoring”?

More data and faster!Interpretation vs democratization?Mitigation and action possibilities?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSEnvirobot Consortium

Thank you for your attention