A tool for monitoring hidden water pollution has been developed by researchers in Veszprém with more than HUF 605 million of EU funding. In addition to Aqua-Terra Lab Kft., the ELKH Centre for Ecological Research (CER), the Sustainability Solutions Research Laboratory of the University of Pannonia in Veszprém, AperTech Kft., which develops remote monitoring functions, and VRIC Nonprofit Kft., which carries out research on analytical measurement technology in cooperation with the ELKH Wigner Research Centre for Physics (WIGNER FK), were also involved in the development of the device.
The developed basin monitoring system can be used on surface waters, said Tamás Cserfalvi, lead researcher of the Homér project.
The development, due to be completed in summer 2021, will also detect water pollution with serious consequences that have not yet been tested. The system consists of a sediment sampling unit installed on the waterbed, a sampling and testing device on the shore, and a central remote controller to monitor operation, he said.
The instrument, which uses a novel absorption method, fills a niche in sediment sampling, as it makes it easier to retrieve small, mobile particles. This is partly the reason why both the automatic and the hand-held, portable versions are popular on the international market, the researcher stressed.