What is tryptophan-like fluorescence?

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that fluoresces at an excitation wavelength of 280 nm and an emission wavelength of 350 nm. The term tryptophan-like fluorescence (TLF) is used because there are multiple compounds that can fluoresce at similar wavelengths. TLF occurs in high concentrations in human and animal waste and is a well-known indicator of wastewater in the environment. It is also known that E. coli cells directly emit TLF and also produce compounds, including tryptophan, that fluoresce in the TLF spectrum.

How does a tryptophan sensor detect sewage?

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid produced by all living things, and our multiple tryptophan case studies demonstrate that in situ Tryptophan-like fluorescence monitoring, using the Chelsea Technologies’ tryptophan sensors, can identify sewage pollution events in complex and heavily contaminated river systems, discern different water ‘types’ and pollution, provide information about the activity of the microbial population present, which is influenced by nutrient pollution (ie agricultural runoff), identify low levels of FDOM in rivers with little-no human impact and be used in a range of environments for investigating the fluorescence properties of natural waters, which applies to both environments which are heavily impacted by nutrients and pollution, and those which are low-nutrient in nature with little to no impacts from human-induced pollution.

UviLux tryptophan sensors

The compact design and low cost of Chelsea Technologies’ tryptophan sensors make them ideal for mass deployments, and low power consumption coupled with a wide choice of data outputs and anti-biofouling options allows for long-term remote deployments. Integration to realtime data display systems for management of assets with alarms means instant readings, no need to take samples back to lab – immediate problem identification as they occur in realtime, saving stock and assets.