Alberta Start-Up Provides In Situ Testing for E. coli
University of Alberta researchers are tackling the problem of rural and agricultural water testing by introducing a handheld sensor that can detect E. coli in situ.
One of the largest obstacles to decisive action on water quality threats, whether E. coli or cyanobacteria, is the time it takes to verify contamination. “Samples are collected and in some cases driven to a lab that is far away, and then the processing itself often takes two days,” said Parmiss Mojir Shaibani, a post-doctoral fellow in the University of Alberta’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. “What if the water is unhealthy to drink? Over that period of time, people and animals drinking it could become sick.”
Roshan Water Solutions was launched in early 2017, with a focus on its first product, a handheld water testing sensor. The company was started by Mojir Shaibani and her husband, Amirreza Sohrabi. The company has a prototype almost completed and are ready to do market testing.
