IIT Madras Develops User-Friendly Heavy Metal Detectors For Soil And Water

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras are working on a point-of-use, portable device to detect heavy metals in soil and water, which will make it possible for even unskilled users to assess the quality of the soil and water swiftly.

According to IIT Madras, the project's goal is to create a machine that will be programmed to provide a non-technical readout value of the soil quality index on a mobile phone-like application.

According to the institute, farmers and laypeople cannot easily employ the current methods for finding heavy metals in soil and water. According to the institution, a portable, point-of-use technology that can be used by laypeople will help them both socially and economically. According to the IIT Madras research team, the testing and validation of heavy metal detection is being done in the lab using diverse soil and water samples obtained locally and abroad.