Developing rapid and portable detection technology for monitoring manganese in drinking water systems

Manganese (Mn) is a contaminant of emerging concern in drinking water as a growing body of epidemiological evidence has identified adverse cognitive, neurodevelopmental and behaviour effects in children. Canada has been a global leader in advancing the regulatory framework for Mn in drinking water, and in 2019, Health Canada published a new drinking water guideline. For the first time, Mn is now regulated on a health-basis (i.e. Alberta and Nova Scotia). The World Health Organization published proposed Mn standards in 2020, with a health-based value, lower than Health Canada’s, providing a powerful policy signal that Mn management will be a new treatment and management priority. Currently Mn monitoring is reliant on periodic grab sampling with analysis by specialized equipment in certified labs. There is no reliable on-site monitoring technique. Our project team at Queen’s University and MANTECH Inc will work together in developing new portable approaches for detecting Mn species.

Faculty Supervisor:

Zhe She;Sarah Jane Payne

Student:

Partner:

Mantech

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Manufacturing; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Queen's University

Program: