Page 6 THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1975
TAMU to develop oil-pollution detector
The U. S. Coast Guard has awarded a $96,581 contract to
the Remote Sensing Center at TAMU to develop an unmanned
oil-pollution detector.
The detector is to be small, rugged and lightweight with the
capability to scan an area 24 hours a day for one year without
maintenance.
,Dr. John W. Rouse, Jr., Remote Sensing Center director,
said provisions of the award call for the center to produce a
single-wave-length laser prototype sensor.
“This device will provide an alarm to a Coast Guard alert or
cleanup station when an oil spill is detected,” Rouse said.
“Essentiaily the detector uses the basic components of a
computer, a small special function micro-processor that is
miniaturized and solid state, he said. “This allows the oil-
pollution data to be processed digitally and instantaneously.
“It will be the only “in site’ oil-spill sensor in existence that
can make measurements 24 hours a day in almost any kind of
weather,” Rouse said.
The monitor is designed to be mounted on bridges and
other structures to monitor rivers and harbor waters. The laser
checks on and below the water surface for suspended material.
Oil and other material on the water alter the signal and modifiy
the return.
The sensor’s electronic signals are turned into digital words
and passed into a computer for analysis.
Extending the idea. Rouse and his research team predict
that a number of these monitors could be linked to a central
facility for a picture of conditions in a large area.
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Dr. John Rouse, left, and Bill Hulse examine a pollution-detection device.
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Researchers
to study
sulfur oxide
Sulfur products daily are belched
into the earth’s atmosphere by cars
and by industry. These oxides of sul
fur are suspended in the air and are
a matter of concern to the Environ
mental Protection Agency (EPA).
The EPA this week awarded an
additional $10,000 for Dr. Jack H.
Lunsford to identify the conditions
under which sulfur oxides form on
airborne particles. The particles are
the products of burning coal or any
fossil fuel containing sulfur.
“It’s known that these absorbed
oxides of sulfur cause respiratory
problems in humans and animals,”
Lunsford said. “They cause irrita
tion in the lungs and make it hard to
breathe.
“Current tests by the EPA for
emission control don’t distinguish
between sulfate and sulfite ions, he
said. “Air quality tests only give the
total amount of sulfur present with
out distinguishing the actual form of
the sulfur oxide.
“We need to find out which
chemical state is important, to the
biology of humans and animals,”
Lunsford said. “Unless we do, the
air quality control agencies might be
setting the limit on one oxide while
the important chemical species
might be something else.
“Our research will show that
some of the ions predominate under
a particidar set of conditions, he
said. “This will then help the EPA
interpret the results of other re
search groups on the respiratory ir
ritation.
Lunsford’s research team uses in
frared spectroscopy to determine
the nature of chemical compounds.
“Our unique contribution is to
apply this type of spectroscopy to a
study of aerosol samples, ” he said.
“The interest in air-pollution prob
lems has made it worthwhile to
apply the technique in this area. ”
Washington
was British
army Colonel
July 9, 1755 — On this day . . .
two hundred and twenty years ago
. . . Col. George Washington was
on the staff of British Gen. Edward
Braddock during the French and
Indian Wars. The British troops
were ambushed and would have suf
fered a total disaster if it were not for
Col. Washington’s heroic efforts in
rallying the survivors and conduct
ing a safe retreat.
“Eleven years
ago Michael got
leukemia.
Last spring we
got married’.’
Mrs. Ann Finamore,
Glen Ridge, NJ.
“Michael’s thirteenth birthday
was supposed to be his last. And
now we’re celebrating our first
anniversary. Because cancer
research developed new treat
ments, Michael’s alive. You should
see how alive!
“There’s a lot more research to
be done and a lot more people to
save. So give to the American
Cancer Society. We want to wipe
out cancer in your lifetime.”
American
Cancer Society
This space contributed by the publishei
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