Portable Multispectral Colorimeter for Metallic Ion Detection and Classification.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Hydrological monitoring requires accurate detection of metallic ions in water bodies.
• Existing methods like UV-VIS spectrophotometry can be expensive and less portable.
• Development of cost-effective and portable sensors is crucial for widespread environmental monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a portable colorimetric device for detecting and classifying metallic ions.
• To integrate advanced hardware and software for real-time water quality analysis.
• To assess the system's performance against established spectrophotometric methods.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a portable colorimetric system with a multispectral optoelectronic sensor.
• Integrated Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) hardware and National Instruments LabVIEW® software.
• Employed the chromogen reagent 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) for colorimetric detection.
• Applied signal processing and linear discriminant analysis for pattern recognition.

Main Results:

• Successfully detected and classified six metallic ions: Pb(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), Cu(II), Fe(III), and Ni(II).
• Achieved performance comparable to high-resolution UV-VIS spectrophotometers.
• Demonstrated excellent results in detection and classification accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The developed portable device offers a viable and high-performing alternative for metallic ion detection in hydrological monitoring.
• The integrated FPGA and virtual instrumentation approach enables efficient and accurate water quality assessment.
• This technology has significant potential for field-based environmental analysis and safeguarding water resources.