Revolutionary 'Lab-on-a-drone' system detects airborne pollutants in real time.
In a groundbreaking move, researcher João Flávio da Silveira Petruci and his team have sought to overcome these limitations. "We wanted to create an affordable 'lab-on-a-drone' that could not only sample the H2S gas while airborne but also analyze and report the data in real-time," Petruci commented.
To achieve this, the team employed 3D printing technology to craft a custom device, which they attached to the bottom of a commercially available quadcopter drone. This inventive device uses a unique chemical reaction involving H2S and a green-glowing fluorescein mercuric acetate molecule. An onboard blue LED light excites this interaction, causing a decrease in green fluorescence intensity that is detected and quantified.
One of the highlights of the technology is its high specificity. Other air pollutants do not affect the chemical reaction, often interfering with traditional monitoring methods. To test their innovation, the team took their drone to a wastewater treatment plant and sampled the air at various altitudes—ground level, around 30 feet, and 65 feet—at different times of the day.
The drone's detection system transmitted its findings via Bluetooth to a smartphone, allowing real-time monitoring. Interestingly, the researchers observed a noticeable increase in H2S concentration as the drone ascended, although the levels never exceeded the acceptable ambient range. This groundbreaking development has been funded by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, the Research Support Foundation of the State of Minas Gerais, and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development. Researchers believe the technology holds promise for adaptation to detect other air pollutants in the future, thereby providing a robust tool in the ongoing fight against environmental degradation.
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