Martin Jendrlin
School of Chemical and Physical Sciences
Ion-selective pencil : towards a zeolite-based multi-sensor system for precision agriculture
Growing of population demands the increase in total food production , but a big emphasis has been put into soil preservation and remediation . An opportunity to meet both needs is presented as precision agriculture , the concept which offers optimisation of fertiliser use via constant monitoring of plant nutrients . Despite significant recent advances , chemical sensors still require relatively complex handling protocols ( storage , calibration , cleaning ), which drive their price beyond the possibility to be routinely used by farmers for precision agriculture . In this work , we are demonstrating the concept of an ion-selective pencil ( ISP ), a zeolite-based sensor . A user can take the ISP selective for the desired ion , draw a line onto a suitable substrate by mechanical abrasion and connect thus prepared sensors to a readout device that exists in many , if not all homes . In terms of sensing principles , the ISP is analogous to ion-selective electrodes ( ISEs ). The aim of this work is to demonstrate that zeolite in ISPs arranged in multi-sensory arrays can be utilised instead of the traditional ionophores for water and soil analysis in precision agriculture .
Postgraduate Conference 2020 Page 27