Hyderabad: Researchers from BITS Pilani-Hyderabad, have recorded the presence of heavy metals like lead, cadmium and mercury in the lakes of Hyderabad, while conducting a study that led to the development of a low-cost water quality assessment device. The researchers detected cadmium at 0.99 micrograms (µM), lead at 0.62 µM, copper at 1.38 µM, and mercury at 0.72 µM in water samples from Hussainsagar, Kapra, and Shamirpet lakes.So far, the metal level detected in these lakes is within the permissible limits.The study was led by Prof. Sanket Goel from the MEMS, microfluidics and nanoelectronics (MMNE) Lab and included Prof. Ponnalagu and Amrutha Lahari, a PhD student. Their cost-effective, metal detection sensor for water quality assessment is capable of detecting heavy metals in the water with high precision. Unlike conventional lab-based testing methods, their electrochemical sensor allows quick, accurate and on-the-spot testing.When tested, the sensor demonstrated high sensitivity and measured contamination levels in the range of 1 µM to 100 µM for each metal, they said.The study has been published in npj Clean Water, a leading environmental research journal.”Onsite testing can significantly alleviate the burden on laboratories often strained by large volumes of contaminated samples. Traditionally, water samples from rivers, lakes, streams, and groundwater are collected periodically, either on a weekly or monthly basis. These samples are transported to testing stations, far from the sites, and often take weeks to produce results. Thus, using portable water quality systems can greatly reduce the operational time and costs, explained Lahari. As interpreting raw data can be challenging for non-experts, the researchers have integrated an artificial intelligence (AI) feature, enabling qualitative analysis of contaminants with greater clarity and accuracy. The incorporation of Internet of Things (IoT) technology allows for real-time, remote water quality monitoring, enhancing accessibility and efficiency. This intelligent system ensures seamless, user-friendly detection of heavy metals, making advanced water quality analysis more practical and widely available.
Source link
