Development of Simplified Analytical methods for In-situ Detection of Ammonia and Urea in Aqueous Solutions

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorHassanzadeh, Hassan
dc.contributor.authorHaq, Shamshad Ul
dc.contributor.committeememberNassar, Nashaat
dc.contributor.committeememberLu, Qingye (Gemma)
dc.dateFall Convocation
dc.date.accessioned2022-03-14T22:27:48Z
dc.date.available2022-03-14T22:27:48Z
dc.date.issued2021-06-09
dc.description.abstractIn-field analysis of nitrogen-containing compounds such as ammonia and urea remains challenging due to the limitations of conventional methods such as non-portability, the toxicity of reactants, and the need for a trained operator. This study presents a colorimetric pH detection paper-based sensing as a promising technology which has the potential to replace conventional methods such as spectrophotometry and electrochemical methods for in-field screening of nitrogen-containing compounds. The application of filter paper and smart-handy devices (e.g., the smartphone camera and RGB app.) makes these sensing devices convenient, inexpensive, and suitable for instant field application. Moreover, the use of non-toxic reagents further stimulates the exclusivity of this technique. Besides, the pervaporation and headspace gas diffusion eliminate the interferences and sample pre-treatment requirement, which reduce the analysis time and cost.Cost-effective, highly sensitive, and convenient anthocyanin-based paper sensors for in-field determination of ammonia and urea were fabricated in this project. Sensors were fabricated by immobilization of anthocyanin extracted from natural sources such as red cabbage (Red-C), blueberry (Blue-B) and blackberry (Black-B) in deionized water (Aq100) and 80% ethanol-water mixture (Aq20Et80) by simple immersion. Ammonium ion and urea were converted to ammonia by alkalinization and thermo-catalytic urea hydrolysis, respectively. The generated ammonia is detected by the anthocyanin-based sensor. The sensor reaction zone imaged by a smartphone (or flatbed scanner) and processed for RGB quantification by ImageJ software to correlate the analyte concentration with red intensity absorbance. The anthocyanin-based ammonia sensor offered a dynamic linear working range (1-10 mg NH3-N/L) with 0.2911 mg NH3-N/L limit of detection (LOD). Similarly, the anthocyanin-based urea sensor presented a dynamic linear working range (5-30 mg urea-N/L) with 0.2911 mg urea-N/L limit of detection (LOD). The accuracy of the proposed paper-based sensors was validated by the standard spectrophotometry method, which makes the fabricated sensors suitable for in-field analysis.
dc.identifier.citationHaq, S. (2020). Development of Simplified Analytical methods for In-situ Detection of Ammonia and Urea in Aqueous Solutions (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/39638
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/114478
dc.language.isoenen
dc.language.isoEnglish
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studiesen
dc.publisher.facultySchulich School of Engineering
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en
dc.subject.classificationEnvironmental Sciences
dc.subject.classificationChemistry--Analytical
dc.titleDevelopment of Simplified Analytical methods for In-situ Detection of Ammonia and Urea in Aqueous Solutions
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineEngineering – Chemical & Petroleum
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (MSc)
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
ucalgary_2021_haq_shamshad-ul.pdf.pdf
Size:
2.77 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Collections
Open Theses and Dissertations