Portable Ion Chromatography: Taking the Chemistry Lab to the Field
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Science and Technology (Applications of S&T - Analytical techniques like chromatography); Environment (Pollution - Water pollution, Nitrate, Arsenic contamination; Biogeochemical Cycles - Nitrogen Cycle).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 3 (S&T, Environment): Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Awareness in the fields of Bio-technology; Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation. This technology is directly applicable to monitoring environmental pollution.
Key Highlights from the News
Scientists developed a small, portable device for Ion chromatography, a technology usually confined to labs, for field use.
Named Aquamonitrix, this device helps separate and quantify ions in soil and water in real-time.
In this study, the device accurately detected environmentally harmful nitrate and nitrite ions in soil water.
Its results were comparable to those from expensive lab instruments.
Its main advantages are low cost, ease of use, and portability.
A similar device is being developed to detect arsenic groundwater contamination, a major health issue in India and Bangladesh, which will be highly beneficial for water quality monitoring in rural India.
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