Electrochemical Impedance Sensors for Microbial Monitoring in Spacecraft Wastewater Systems

Microbial accumulation in the form of both planktonic flocs and surface-attached biofilm poses a complex problem in the water recovery system aboard spacecraft. These accumulations obstruct plumbing and valves within the water processor assembly which leads to mechanical part failure and intensive maintenance. To avoid these failures in long-duration crewed spaceflight, autonomous monitoring systems are necessary. A promising platform for autonomous monitoring is microfabricated electrochemical sensors due to their low mass, low power needs, and sensitivity. Of particular interest for microbial monitoring are electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) sensors which can be used to detect the accumulation of biofilm on the sensor surface. With this method a sinusoidal potential is applied to a system and the current response is recorded over a specified range of frequencies. By analyzing the complex signal, biomass accumulation and bulk media properties of the system can be determined. In this work, gold microinterdigitated electrodes (μIDEs) will be used to investigate the effect of fluid flow, temperature, conductivity, pH, and microorganisms on impedance measurements. With successful modeling of the parameter effects on the EIS measurements, sensors can be deployed in various spacecraft systems with particular interest in wastewater streams and potable water.

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