Project number
25040
Organization
Kidney ADVANCE Project - NIH/ACABI
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
Water pollutants – including heavy metals, inorganic contaminants, and microplastics – pose significant risks to both the environment and public health. A system for monitoring these “water baddies” is a necessary part of understanding this contamination and taking steps to correct it. Unfortunately, traditional water testing methods rely on laboratory-based analysis, which is expensive, time-intensive and often inaccessible to the general public. This project introduces a functional, small footprint/point-of care analysis system for detecting these water baddies to ensure clean water for a safe future.
The team used a colorimetric and fluorescence-based approach for rapid, on-site water monitoring in an easy-to-use desktop clinical device. The result is a novel paperfluidic device that uses commercial test strips to detect heavy metals and inorganic contaminants and fluorescent microscopy – using a digital microscope, blue LED, and a 520 nm bandpass filter – to identify microplastics. The system employs a dropper mechanism and conveyor belt to deliver samples precisely to detection zones. Results are captured via imaging, analyzed through software, and accessible via a Bluetooth-enabled mobile app. Through experimental calibration, the team determined that the device can successfully detect contaminants well below the limit of EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations.
The team used a colorimetric and fluorescence-based approach for rapid, on-site water monitoring in an easy-to-use desktop clinical device. The result is a novel paperfluidic device that uses commercial test strips to detect heavy metals and inorganic contaminants and fluorescent microscopy – using a digital microscope, blue LED, and a 520 nm bandpass filter – to identify microplastics. The system employs a dropper mechanism and conveyor belt to deliver samples precisely to detection zones. Results are captured via imaging, analyzed through software, and accessible via a Bluetooth-enabled mobile app. Through experimental calibration, the team determined that the device can successfully detect contaminants well below the limit of EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations.