Background

Distinct classes of environmental contaminants – such as microplastics, volatile organic compounds, inorganic gases, hormones, pesticides/herbicides, and heavy metals – have been continuously released into the environment from different sources. Anthropogenic activities with unprecedented consequences have impacted soil, surface waters, and the atmosphere. In this scenario, developing sensing materials and analytical platforms for monitoring water and air quality is essential to supporting worldwide environmental control agencies. Moreover, the distribution of such chemicals in the environment is not uniform, which requires the development of mobile and versatile analytical platforms to characterize the spatial and temporal profile of the pollutant's dispersion.

Results

Drones are excellent alternatives for in-field and remote monitoring with onboard analytical platforms. This review presents and discusses critical aspects related to drone-based platforms – i.e. lab-on-a-drone – for sampling and/or quantifying analytes dedicated to environmental (i.e. water and air) applications. A practice guide including the price range, max payload, flying time, and commercially available models is also introduced to support researchers selecting drones. As analytical procedures, colorimetric and electrochemical devices are described as powerful analytical tools to be attached in drones and to perform different environmental analyses. Lastly, examples of applications involving direct and indirect analysis of distinct pollutants, including toxic gases, particulate matter, and organic and inorganic ones, are highlighted. To date, no other review addresses the critical aspects of recent developments over the past five years in sampling and detection systems embedded in drones for environmental applications.

Significance and novelty

This review provides a comprehensive overview of technological innovations and compares the features of leading drone models, highlighting critical aspects for implementing portable analytical systems for air and water sampling and chemical analysis. We hope this work offers a clear perspective on current trends and provides valuable practical guidance for researchers and professionals interested in conducting remote environmental analyses.

中文翻译：

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用于远程环境监测的无人机航空实验室平台研究进展

 背景

不同类别的环境污染物，如微塑料、挥发性有机化合物、无机气体、荷尔蒙、除害剂/除草剂和重金属等，不断从不同来源释放到环境中。具有前所未有的后果的人为活动已经影响了土壤、地表水和大气。在这种情况下，开发用于监测水和空气质量的传感材料和分析平台对于支持全球环境控制机构至关重要。此外，此类化学物质在环境中的分布并不均匀，这需要开发移动和多功能分析平台来表征污染物扩散的空间和时间特征。

 结果

无人机是使用机载分析平台进行现场和远程监测的绝佳选择。本文介绍并讨论了与无人机平台（即无人机实验室）相关的关键方面，用于对专用于环境（即水和空气）应用的分析物进行采样和/或定量。此外，还介绍了包括价格范围、最大有效载荷、飞行时间和市售型号在内的实践指南，以支持研究人员选择无人机。作为分析程序，比色和电化学设备被描述为强大的分析工具，可以安装在无人机中并执行不同的环境分析。最后，重点介绍了涉及直接和间接分析不同污染物（包括有毒气体、颗粒物以及有机和无机污染物）的应用示例。迄今为止，没有其他审查涉及过去五年中嵌入在无人机中用于环境应用的采样和检测系统的最新发展的关键方面。

 意义和新颖性

这篇综述全面概述了技术创新，并比较了领先无人机型号的特点，重点介绍了实施用于空气和水采样以及化学分析的便携式分析系统的关键方面。我们希望这项工作为当前趋势提供清晰的视角，并为有兴趣进行远程环境分析的研究人员和专业人士提供宝贵的实践指导。