Detecting Contaminants in Water; A Review on the Current and State-of-the-Art Technologies

Document Type

Review

Publication Date

3-1-2026

Abstract

Water contamination has become an increasingly critical issue, with growing concerns about its impact on public health and the safety of aquatic life. The need for effective innovations in water monitoring and management systems is crucial to address this challenge aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which emphasizes the need for clean water and sanitation. Traditional chromatographic and spectrometric methods although reliable and accurate are often inaccessible to the general public and offer no potential for onsite real-time monitoring. Electrochemical-based methods for detecting water pollutants, in particular, are highlighted as promising candidates for real-time analysis of water bodies owing to their high accuracy, selectivity, and potential point-of-care applications. Despite the advantages offered by these current technologies, there remain challenges such as regulatory compliance, scalability, chemical by-products, high complexity, and high cost that need to be addressed before global implementation. The review, therefore, aims to address this crucial mainstream research by providing a comprehensive outlook on the well-established state-of-the-art as well as electrochemical technologies along with exciting prospects and future directions for research and development of effective water monitoring technologies.

Publication Title

Water Air and Soil Pollution

ISSN

00496979

DOI

10.1007/s11270-025-08995-9

Volume

237

Issue

6

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