Developing a Portable Spectrometer to Detect Chemical Contaminants in Irrigation Water

Water pollution is a critical issue since it can severely affect health and the environment. The purpose of the study is to develop a portable spectrometer (ESP32-based spectrometer) to detect chemical contaminants in irrigation water by observing the light absorbance of contaminants. ESP32 and a li...

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Main Authors: Siti Nadhirah Zainurin, Wan Zakiah Wan Ismail, Wan Aina Nadhirah Wan Azlan, Khairul Nabilah Zainul Ariffin, Wan Maryam Wan Ahmad Kamil
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-06-01
Series:Agriculture
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/6/1202
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author Siti Nadhirah Zainurin
Wan Zakiah Wan Ismail
Wan Aina Nadhirah Wan Azlan
Khairul Nabilah Zainul Ariffin
Wan Maryam Wan Ahmad Kamil
author_facet Siti Nadhirah Zainurin
Wan Zakiah Wan Ismail
Wan Aina Nadhirah Wan Azlan
Khairul Nabilah Zainul Ariffin
Wan Maryam Wan Ahmad Kamil
author_sort Siti Nadhirah Zainurin
collection DOAJ
description Water pollution is a critical issue since it can severely affect health and the environment. The purpose of the study is to develop a portable spectrometer (ESP32-based spectrometer) to detect chemical contaminants in irrigation water by observing the light absorbance of contaminants. ESP32 and a light sensor (photodiode) were respectively, used as the main controller and detector of the portable spectrometer. It was developed based on optical dispersion and Beer–Lambert law theory. The light absorbance of different types of contaminants was displayed in a Blynk application for real-time monitoring. The samples were also tested using a lab-based spectroscopy method, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrometer. The spectral range of the measurement is from 350 nm to 700 nm and the standard error of the ESP32-based spectrometer is from 0.01 to 0.05. Five water samples were tested, consisting of ammonium nitrate, organic pesticide, zinc oxide and two different reservoirs used for irrigation. The absorption peaks of the ammonium nitrate and organic pesticide are 363 nm and 361 nm, respectively. Zinc oxide shows the absorbance peak at 405 nm, whereas both reservoirs show absorbance peaks lie in the region from 300 nm to 370 nm. Therefore, this study shows that different types of contaminants can absorb light only at specific wavelength regions by considering the concentration of samples. The developed ESP32-based spectrometer can be applied for on-site water quality monitoring as it is portable, light, simple and can be monitored in real time using multiple devices.
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spelling doaj.art-ac9ca81aa09d46049bdbf3af011e613e2023-11-18T08:51:44ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722023-06-01136120210.3390/agriculture13061202Developing a Portable Spectrometer to Detect Chemical Contaminants in Irrigation WaterSiti Nadhirah Zainurin0Wan Zakiah Wan Ismail1Wan Aina Nadhirah Wan Azlan2Khairul Nabilah Zainul Ariffin3Wan Maryam Wan Ahmad Kamil4Advanced Devices and System, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai 71800, Negeri Sembilan, MalaysiaAdvanced Devices and System, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai 71800, Negeri Sembilan, MalaysiaAdvanced Devices and System, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai 71800, Negeri Sembilan, MalaysiaAdvanced Devices and System, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai 71800, Negeri Sembilan, MalaysiaSchool of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden 11800, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaWater pollution is a critical issue since it can severely affect health and the environment. The purpose of the study is to develop a portable spectrometer (ESP32-based spectrometer) to detect chemical contaminants in irrigation water by observing the light absorbance of contaminants. ESP32 and a light sensor (photodiode) were respectively, used as the main controller and detector of the portable spectrometer. It was developed based on optical dispersion and Beer–Lambert law theory. The light absorbance of different types of contaminants was displayed in a Blynk application for real-time monitoring. The samples were also tested using a lab-based spectroscopy method, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrometer. The spectral range of the measurement is from 350 nm to 700 nm and the standard error of the ESP32-based spectrometer is from 0.01 to 0.05. Five water samples were tested, consisting of ammonium nitrate, organic pesticide, zinc oxide and two different reservoirs used for irrigation. The absorption peaks of the ammonium nitrate and organic pesticide are 363 nm and 361 nm, respectively. Zinc oxide shows the absorbance peak at 405 nm, whereas both reservoirs show absorbance peaks lie in the region from 300 nm to 370 nm. Therefore, this study shows that different types of contaminants can absorb light only at specific wavelength regions by considering the concentration of samples. The developed ESP32-based spectrometer can be applied for on-site water quality monitoring as it is portable, light, simple and can be monitored in real time using multiple devices.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/6/1202light intensity sensorphotodiodeESP32-based spectrometerheavy metal and organic contaminantspesticidezinc oxide and agriculture
spellingShingle Siti Nadhirah Zainurin
Wan Zakiah Wan Ismail
Wan Aina Nadhirah Wan Azlan
Khairul Nabilah Zainul Ariffin
Wan Maryam Wan Ahmad Kamil
Developing a Portable Spectrometer to Detect Chemical Contaminants in Irrigation Water
Agriculture
light intensity sensor
photodiode
ESP32-based spectrometer
heavy metal and organic contaminants
pesticide
zinc oxide and agriculture
title Developing a Portable Spectrometer to Detect Chemical Contaminants in Irrigation Water
title_full Developing a Portable Spectrometer to Detect Chemical Contaminants in Irrigation Water
title_fullStr Developing a Portable Spectrometer to Detect Chemical Contaminants in Irrigation Water
title_full_unstemmed Developing a Portable Spectrometer to Detect Chemical Contaminants in Irrigation Water
title_short Developing a Portable Spectrometer to Detect Chemical Contaminants in Irrigation Water
title_sort developing a portable spectrometer to detect chemical contaminants in irrigation water
topic light intensity sensor
photodiode
ESP32-based spectrometer
heavy metal and organic contaminants
pesticide
zinc oxide and agriculture
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/6/1202
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