Development of a versatile smartphone-based environmental analyzer (vSEA) and its application in on-site nutrient...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Smartphone technology offers potential for citizen-science environmental surveys.
• Current smartphone colorimetric assays often rely on empirical formulas or complex methods for quantification.
• There is a need for robust and versatile algorithms for accurate analyte quantification using smartphones.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a versatile and robust algorithm for smartphone-based colorimetric quantification.
• To build and optimize a versatile smartphone-based environmental analyzer (vSEA).
• To evaluate the analytical performance and feasibility of the vSEA for nutrient quantification in natural waters.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel algorithm to model the conversion of spectral to RGB color information.
• Built and optimized a versatile smartphone-based environmental analyzer (vSEA).
• Validated the vSEA using standard methods for nutrient analysis in natural waters.

Main Results:

• The algorithm demonstrated robust simulation and analysis of spectral to RGB conversion.
• The vSEA achieved high linearity (R² ≥ 0.9954) and precision (RSD < 5.3%) for nutrient quantification.
• Field measurements of five nutrients showed no significant difference compared to conventional methods.

Conclusions:

• The developed algorithm and vSEA provide an accurate and reliable method for smartphone-based nutrient quantification.
• The vSEA simplifies on-site measurement of nutrients in natural water bodies.
• This technology can enhance emergency monitoring of aquatic ecosystems and support citizen-science research.