FLOW
Overview
A field monitoring station designed to support early detection of oil-based pollutants in inland surface waters.
Background
Oil-based pollutants are among the most common contaminants in inland waters, originating from transportation, industry, and urban runoff. Even small leaks can spread rapidly across the water surface, posing risks to ecosystems and water infrastructure. Despite their frequency, most detection methods still rely on periodic sampling and laboratory analysis, limiting the ability to identify pollution at an early stage.
The problem
Environmental monitoring institutions rely largely on periodic sampling and laboratory analysis, which means oil-based pollution is often detected only after it has already spread through the ecosystem.
Results
Shifted monitoring from reactive laboratory testing to field-based screening, allowing potential contamination to be identified directly at the monitoring site.
Enabled detection of oil-based pollution within minutes or hours instead of days or weeks, significantly shortening environmental response time.
Introduced a scalable infrastructure concept where multiple stations continuously collect environmental data, supporting faster decision-making for water management institutions.
Team
Subject-matter consultation from dr inż. Anna Gacek
My role
Research, strategy, prototyping, testing
Timeline
9 months | 2025
