Portable colorimetric hydrogel test kits are newly developed for the on-site detection of nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate in water. Griess-doped hydrogel was prepared at the bottom of a 1.5 mL plastic tube for nitrite detection, a nitrate reduction film based on zinc powder was placed on the inner lid of a second 1.5 mL plastic tube for use in conjunction with the Griess-doped hydrogel for nitrate detection, and a molybdenum blue-based reagent was entrapped within a poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel matrix placed at the bottom of a third 1.5 mL plastic tube to detect phosphate. These test kits are usable with on-mobile digital image colorimetry (DIC) for the on-site determination of nutrients with good analytical performance. The detection limits were 0.02, 0.04, and 0.14 mg L−1 for nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate, respectively, with good accuracy (<4.8% relative error) and precision (<1.85% relative standard deviation). These test kits and on-mobile DIC were used for the on-site determination of nutrients in the Pak Bang and Bang Yai canals, the main canals in Phuket, Thailand. The concentrations of nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate were undetectable to 0.60 mg L−1, undetectable to 2.98 mg L−1, and undetectable to 0.52 mg L−1, respectively.
Keywords: digital image colorimetry; hydrogel; nutrient; on-site determination; test kit.