System, apparatus, and method for viral monitoring in effluent

An apparatus for viral monitoring in sewage wastewater in a sewage collection or treatment system, comprising:

• a housing;
• a single sensor having a plurality of graphene field-effect transistors configured to bind SARS-COV-2;
• and
• circuitry configured to repeatedly monitor and determine presence of SARS-COV-2 in the sewage wastewater, wherein
• the single sensor and the circuitry are mounted in the housing, and
• the circuitry is configured to
• apply a gate voltage to each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors,
• measure a conductance across each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors, a value of the conductance being based on an amount of the SARS-COV-2 bound to the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors,
• compare the measured conductance across each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors to respective threshold conductances, the threshold conductances being different for each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors,
• determine whether levels of the SARS-COV-2 in the sewage wastewater exceed a predetermined threshold based upon whether the measured conductance for each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors exceeds the threshold conductance, and
• determine whether a predetermined number of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors have the measured conductance satisfying the threshold conductance.

A method for viral monitoring in sewage wastewater in a sewage collection or treatment system, comprising:

• repeatedly monitoring, by circuitry and a single sensor comprising a plurality of graphene field-effect transistors configured to bind a virus;
• measuring, by the circuitry, a conductance across each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors, a value of the conductance being based on an amount of the virus bound to the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors;
• comparing, by the circuitry, the measured conductance across each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors to respective threshold conductances the threshold conductances being different for each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors;
• determining whether a predetermined number of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors have the measured conductance satisfying the threshold conductance;
• and
• determining, by the circuitry, presence of SARS-COV-2 in the sewage wastewater,
• wherein each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors comprises one or more proteins configured to bind the SARS-COV-2 in the sewage wastewater.