Researchers from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) are making significant strides in addressing environmental contamination issues through the creation of a portable, point-of-use device capable of detecting heavy metals in both soil and water. This innovative tool is designed to be user-friendly, even for individuals without scientific training.
One of the prominent challenges in safeguarding public health and environmental integrity is the lack of immediate, efficient, and user-friendly contamination detection tools. Current high-end techniques, such as 'Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy' (ICP-OES), demand sophisticated laboratories and involve lengthy procedures, making them unsuitable for the needs of ordinary people or farmers.
In a groundbreaking development, the IIT Madras team has applied for a provisional patent for their invention, named the 'Polymeric thin film-based heavy transition metal detector.' This holds promise for a device that can be operated by anyone interested in assessing soil and water quality.
Rural areas in India, estimated at over 36,000 by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, face substantial risks from water sources contaminated with heavy metals and other pollutants like fluoride and arsenic. The presence of heavy metals in soil has also led to increased soil salinity, negatively impacting global food security by reducing crop yields.
Dr Sreeram K Kalpathy, Associate Professor in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at IIT Madras, emphasized the urgent need for technological solutions to detect and measure heavy metal concentrations, given India's heavy reliance on agriculture.
Together with project directors Dr Sreeram K Kalpathy and Dr Tiju Thomas, project scientist Vidhya KV is part of the innovative team dedicated to advancing agricultural technology. Their objective is to provide farmers with crucial information about soil and water quality, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding crop cultivation and necessary interventions in cases of heavy metal contamination.
Dr Tiju Thomas explained that their technology functions by adsorbing metal ions onto thin polymer films present in the water sample or soil wash water. The results are then identified using a calibrated database by measuring infrared spectroscopic signals.
Project Scientist Vidhya KV further highlighted the advantages of this technology, emphasizing its scientific novelty and reduced sample preparation requirements compared to traditional techniques like ICP-OES.
Efforts are underway to transition these innovative methods from the laboratory to real-world applications. Collaborating with the Rural Technology Action Group at IIT Madras, the researchers have analyzed water samples from various temple tanks in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. Additionally, they are conducting validation tests using a variety of local and non-local soil and water samples.
With these cutting-edge developments, IIT Madras is actively working towards a sustainable future where the environment and agriculture can coexist without compromising human health.
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