Research Projects

Groundwater quality and sustainability are crucial for Australia and India, as they heavily rely on groundwater for drinking, irrigation, industrial, and urban water supplies. However, groundwater quality is deteriorating due to high levels of organic pollutants and toxic heavy metal ions. Climate change is also contributing to the contamination problem. Current methods, such as lab-based techniques, are expensive, cumbersome, and require on-site sampling and laborious system maintenance. This project aims to develop a low-cost, autonomous, and real-time water quality monitoring device that can detect heavy metals ions and organic pollutants and generate instant water quality maps. The proposed technology includes integrated optics IO sensors, microfluidics, robotic arms, self-powered devices, micro GPS chips, and connectivity to IoT Internet of Things. The project aims to reduce the cost of current water quality tests from 100/sample to 2/sample, while reducing the overall system complexity, labor cost, running costs, and maintenance. The technology will enable efficient management of groundwater resources for drinking water, agriculture irrigation, and industrial water use.