The company ALFARIVER DEFENSE S.L., responsible for the project “Development of an in situ detection system for contaminants in port environments”, subsidized by the Ports 4.0 Fund of Puertos del Estado, has carried out the final demonstration of the project that has been carried out in the facilities of the Port of Bilbao. The test was attended by the heads of Innovation of Puertos del Estado and Bilbao Portlab, together with those responsible for the project on behalf of ALFARIVER.
The objective of the project is to develop portable equipment for in situ detection of chemical contaminants in port waters in real time based on Raman spectroscopy (detection of quantized vibration energy in atoms and molecules by stimulation with a monochromatic light beam) and SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering) improved by choosing the most suitable particles to intensify the Raman signals, in combination with a software for reporting the spectral analytical information in a language suitable for immediate reading by any non-specialized operator.
During the execution of the project, ALFARIVER has built an extensive database with reference spectra measured under controlled conditions and a SERS library for compounds at very low concentration. In addition, ALFARIVER has synthesized silver nanoparticles and demonstrated their use to amplify the signal and detect contaminants when the conventional Raman signal is weak or fluorescence is present.
In this way, they have integrated a portable Raman spectrometer in a reinforced case that incorporates a compartment for samples, power control and a Tablet with the system software, as well as its own power supply and integrated ventilation. This optimizes the obtaining of the result in situ, avoiding the days of waiting to be sent to the laboratory.
After the presentation on the characteristics and particularities of the project implementation, the real-time demonstration was carried out, where the operation of the portable equipment for contaminant detection was tested.
RKL Integral SCP, Barbara IoT and Key Networks ICT SL, beneficiary companies of the Ports 4.0 grants, perform the final demonstration of the Global Safety & Security Center (GSSC) project.
