Autonomous field-deployable device for the measurement of phosphate in natural water

This work describes the ongoing development of an autonomous platform for the measurement of phosphate levels in river water. This device is designed to operate unassisted for one year, taking a measurement every hour and relaying the result to a laptop computer. A first generation prototype has already been developed and successfully field tested. The system contains the sampling, chemical storage, fluid handling, colorimetric data acquisition and waste storage capabilities necessary to perform the phosphate measurement. In addition to this, the device has the embedded control, GSM communications system and power supply to allow independent operation. The entire system is placed inside a compact and rugged enclosure. Further work discussed here builds on the successes of the prototype design to deliver a system capable of one full year of operation. The second generation system has been built from the ground up. Although identical in operation to the prototype its design has a greater emphasis on power efficient components and power management to allow for a longer lifetime. Other improvements include an automated two-point calibration to compensate for drift and a more rugged design to further increase the lifetime of the device.

[1]  Philip Jordan,et al.  High-resolution phosphorus transfers at the catchment scale: the hidden importance of non-storm transfers , 2005 .

[2]  David Styles,et al.  Importance of spatial and temporal patterns for assessment of risk of diffuse nutrient emissions to surface waters , 2005 .

[3]  Other.  Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of The Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a Framework for Community Action in the Field of Water Policy (Water Framework Directive) , 2000 .

[4]  Dermot Diamond,et al.  Autonomous microfluidic system for phosphate detection. , 2007, Talanta.

[5]  Dermot Diamond,et al.  A prototype industrial sensing system for phosphorus based on micro system technology. , 2002, The Analyst.

[6]  Chris P Mainston,et al.  Phosphorus in rivers--ecology and management. , 2002, The Science of the total environment.

[7]  J. Burkholder,et al.  Harmful algal blooms and eutrophication: Nutrient sources, composition, and consequences , 2002 .

[8]  V. Smith,et al.  Eutrophication: impacts of excess nutrient inputs on freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems. , 1999, Environmental pollution.

[9]  Paul J. Worsfold,et al.  Determination of carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon species in waters , 1994 .

[10]  Dermot Diamond,et al.  Analysis of river water samples utilising a prototype industrial sensing system for phosphorus based on micro-system technology. , 2002, Journal of environmental monitoring : JEM.

[11]  Dermot Diamond,et al.  The determination of phosphorus in a microfluidic manifold demonstrating long-term reagent lifetime and chemical stability utilising a colorimetric method , 2003 .

[12]  Kenneth Irvine,et al.  (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/aqc.622 Editorial , 2022 .

[13]  Dermot Diamond,et al.  CO2 laser microfabrication of an integrated polymer microfluidic manifold for the determination of phosphorus. , 2003, Lab on a chip.