Prime Highlights
- IIT Guwahati researchers have developed a nanosensor that can detect mercury and harmful antibiotics in water within less than 10 seconds.
- The innovation highlights nanotechnology’s potential to fight water pollution and safeguard communities from toxic contaminants.
Key Facts
- The sensor is made using milk protein, thymine, and carbon dots, which emit UV light that dims in the presence of pollutants.
- It has been successfully tested on tap water, river water, milk, urine, and blood serum, showing its wide real-world applicability.
Background
A nanosensor developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati is able to detect hazardous pollution in water in a short time. Within a span of less than 10 seconds, the sensor can detect mercury and waste containing harmful antibiotics, the institute claimed on Monday.
Milk protein and thymine are used to make the sensor. It functions with carbon dots that can emit ultraviolet light. The shine is weak when there are dirty substances such as mercury or antibiotics, which is a clear indication of pollution.
Water pollution is becoming an increasing issue in the entire world because of urban sprawl, industries, as well as overexploitation of medicines. This is because the experts caution that the untreated waste of antibiotics, particularly tetracyclines that are administered to treat pneumonia and other infections, tends to end up in rivers and lakes. This will lead to antibiotic resistance and pose severe health risks. Mercury is also very dangerous. It can lead to cancer, brain damage, heart disease, and other fatal diseases in its organic form.
The IIT-Guwahati team tested the nanosensor in different samples, including tap water, river water, milk, urine, and blood serum. The results showed that the sensor can be used in many real-life situations to check for contamination.
The institute said in a statement that fast and precise identification of these contaminants is highly essential to safeguard water and human life.
At present, the research is still in the laboratory stage. The sensor will need more testing and validation before it can be used outside research labs.
Nevertheless, such a development demonstrates how nanotechnology has potential in combating water pollution. It might provide individuals and industries with a quick, inexpensive and sure means of ensuring that their water is safe.
As the pollution increases and clean water is becoming a luxury, the nanosensor developed by IIT-Guwahati will prove useful in ensuring communities remain unaffected by harmful elements.
