Analysis of phosphate in wastewater using an autonomous microfluidics-based analyser
Cleary, JohnORCID: 0000-0001-7282-4998, Slater, Conor and Diamond, DermotORCID: 0000-0003-2944-4839
(2009)
Analysis of phosphate in wastewater using an autonomous microfluidics-based analyser.
In: ICEST 2009 - International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology, 28-30 April 2009, Rome, Italy.
ISBN 2070-3724
A portable sensor for the analysis of phosphate in
aqueous samples has been developed. The sensor incorporates
microfluidic technology, colorimetric detection, and wireless communications into a compact and rugged portable device. The detection method used is the molybdenum yellow method, in which a phosphate-containing sample is mixed with a reagent containing ammonium metavanadate and ammonium molybdate in an acidic medium. A yellow-coloured compound is generated and the absorption of this compound is measured using a light emitting diode (LED) light source and a photodiode detector. The absorption is directly proportional to the phosphate concentration in the original
sample. In this paper we describe the application of this phosphate sensor to the analysis of wastewater at a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Co. Kildare, Ireland.