Sense of achievement

Sensors designed to detect the various types of environmental problems are vital tools in the clean-up of contaminated land, and in tracking air pollution.

They’re also a focus of much research, with traditional chemistry, the emerging techniques of nanotechnology and engineering all combining to create a new generation of small, sensitive devices that provide more information with less effort and, ultimately, at a lower cost.

The main areas for sensors using nanotechnology are for testing, monitoring and remediating waste dumps and other contaminated sites, said Rajesh Kanan, an analyst with Frost & Sullivan’s Technical Insights team in Singapore.

‘Among some of the promising applications for sensors in this market segment is for the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) environmental analysis, for monitoring and detecting aquatic toxins, like domoic acid, brevetoxins, and textrodotoxin,’ he said.

Such tests, on the surface of the sites and in groundwater, can provide early warning and prevention of heavy metal ion pollution. Of particular interest are remote, in situ, and continuous monitoring devices capable of yielding real-time information, and also those that can detect pollutants in water at very low concentration levels.