Multi-Sample Detection of Soil Nitrate Nitrogen Using a Digital Microfluidic Platform

Yan Hong, Zhihao Xia, Jingming Su, Rujing Wang (), Yongjia Chang, Qing Huang, Liman Wei and Xiangyu Chen ()
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Yan Hong: School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China
Zhihao Xia: School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China
Jingming Su: School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China
Rujing Wang: Intelligent Agriculture Engineering Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
Yongjia Chang: Intelligent Agriculture Engineering Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
Qing Huang: Intelligent Agriculture Engineering Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
Liman Wei: Agricultural Sensors and Intelligent Perception Technology Innovation Center of Anhui Province, Zhongke Hefei Institutes of Collaborative Research and Innovation for Intelligent Agriculture, Hefei 231131, China
Xiangyu Chen: Intelligent Agriculture Engineering Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: The rapid quantification of nitrate nitrogen concentration plays a pivotal role in monitoring soil nutrient content. Nevertheless, the low detection efficiency limits the application of traditional methods in rapid testing. For this investigation, we utilized a digital microfluidic platform and 3D-printed microfluidics to accomplish automated detection of soil nitrate nitrogen with high sensitivity across numerous samples. The system combines digital microfluidics (DMF), 3D-printed microfluidics, a peristaltic pump, and a spectrometer. The soil solution, obtained after extraction, was dispensed onto the digital microfluidic platform using a micropipette. The digital microfluidic platform regulated the movement of droplets until they reached the injection area, where they were then aspirated into the 3D-printed microfluidic device for absorbance detection. Implementing this approach allows for the convenient sequential testing of multi-samples, thereby enhancing the efficiency of nitrate nitrogen detection. The results demonstrate that the device exhibits rapid detection (200 s for three samples), low reagent consumption (40 µL per sample), and low detection limit (95 µg/L). In addition, the relative error between the detected concentration and the concentration measured by ultraviolet spectrophotometry is kept within 20%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the measured soil samples is between 0.9% and 4.7%. In the foreseeable future, this device will play a significant role in improving the efficiency of soil nutrient detection and guiding fertilization practices.

Keywords: digital microfluidics; 3D-printed microfluidics; soil nitrate nitrogen; multi-sample detection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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