Abstract: “Main parameters of the Zincon method for spectrophotometrical detection of Zn (II) metal ions in water were optimized for application on a miniaturized and portable device, for continuous monitoring of water pollution. The aim was the reduction of involved volumes, manageable by a microfluidic device, the choice of suitable solvents and buffers, the optimization of reagents amounts and aging times and the irradiation of the sample by a single wavelength visible source. The influence of each parameter was investigated individually with respect to a reference method; finally, all the optimized values were merged and verified on a bench prototype to test any possible mutual effect.”

Keywords: Zinc, Zincon, water pollution, water analysis, process optimization