Water and soil analysis Water and soil analysis

Water and soil analysis for humanity

Water and soil analysis to reduce our environmental impact

Photonic technologies can reshape the way we safeguard our planet. In-situ soil and water analysis can identify pollutants such as nitrites, nitrates and other chemicals at the source, helping to remediate industrial and agricultural runoff in minutes, versus days or weeks with traditional lab testing.

 

3.2B people affected by the degradation of land and soil—threatening health and food security i 1 in 3 people don’t have access to safe drinking water. ii

Earlier detection of pollutants is possible with advances in optical technologies, which are proving to be more sensitive and cost-effective, and less time- and labor-intensive, than traditional lab-based methods.

Application overview: water analysis

Water analysis

Nitrites and nitrates common in runoff from industrial facilities and farms can impact water quality and safety in our lakes, oceans and drinking water. These facilities traditionally use wet chemistry, sending samples to a lab and waiting weeks for results, to detect hazardous chemicals and pollutants over EPA limits. Onsite spectrometry can provide real-time information that could allow for earlier remediation, reducing the risk of EPA fines and downstream pollution. Spectroscopic water analysis is now used to:

 

  • Measure water runoff
  • Inspect wastewater from business sites and agriculture/livestock
  • Monitor quality and purity of water in precision agriculture and pharmaceutical manufacturing

 

Hamamatsu has worked to expand its product line to advance OEMs’ ability to meet such a range of needs, including our UV micro-spectrometer, ruggedized and available in the 190-400 nm wavelength range, which can be paired with light sources (i.e. Xe flash lamp modules) for handheld, portable applications.

 

Application overview: soil analysis

Soil analysis

Photonics can be used to identify soil health and moisture content. Market demand for photonics-driven technologies is expanding quickly, in a range of form factors and use cases. Smart soil heatmaps provide valuable data in precision agriculture, geology and mining, environmental monitoring, archeology and forensic studies. Information for soil lies in spectral ranges from approximately 350 to 3500 nm.

 

In onsite soil measurement, photonics technologies such as NIR spectrometers and back thinned-CCD (BT-CCD) image sensors for LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) are essential. These devices allow scientists and researchers to perform rapid, accurate soil analysis directly in the field. Whether for agricultural assessments or environmental impact studies, photonics tools improve our ability to understand soil composition and its implications for our environment.

 

Hamamatsu supports instrumentation OEMs and researchers with an extensive product line:

  • NIR spectrometer
  • BT-CCD for LIBS

 

Hamamatsu continues to invest in collaborating with OEMs and startups that are exploring novel applications to improve speed and reliability of water and soil analysis at point of need. In addition to miniaturization and ruggedization, we’re working to meet sensitivity and expand detection limits, to detect more contaminants at lower concentrations.

Beyond the blog: more on environmental monitoring

Environmental

Environmental monitoring

Transform environmental science with Hamamatsu's sophisticated products for drone surveying, water analysis, gas monitoring, and more. Explore the future of optical innovation today!



Contributed by: Stephanie Butron and John Gilmore

 

 

iUNEP

 

ii Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering

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