Portable Ion Chromatograph:
A team of scientists from the University of Tasmania has developed a portable ion chromatograph, Aquamonitrix, that allows real-time, on-site detection of nitrate and nitrite levels.
- It Is a compact, low-pressure ion chromatograph that can separate and detect anions (like nitrate and nitrite) in real-time, outside traditional laboratory settings.
- Developed By University of Tasmania researchers in collaboration with Aquamonitrix, a company specializing in field-deployable ion analysis instruments.
- It Works:
- Sample Prep: Soil pore water is extracted with a portable vacuum pump and filtered on-site.
- Separation: The device uses a short chromatographic column and sodium chloride solution as a carrier.
- Detection: Equipped with a UV absorbance detector, it produces two clear peaks for nitrate and nitrite without interference from other anions.
- Power: Runs on battery, enabling field portability.
