REACT (Remote Environmental Assessment and Continuous Metal Tracking) is the initiative that addresses the validation of a low-cost, field-deployable electrochemical sensor system developed within the iMERMAID European Project. The system is designed for continuous monitoring of dissolved heavy metals in waters affected by historical mining. The primary goal is to validate the sensor’s performance against laboratory reference methods (ICP-MS) and define its operational limits under challenging environmental conditions.
Legacy contamination from the former Brskovo mine in Montenegro poses persistent ecological and human health risks. While continuous monitoring of metals (like Zn, Cd, Pb, and Cu) is crucial for site management, sensor data must be rigorously validated. REACT will evaluate if the iMERMAID sensors provide accurate, precise, and robust measurements in highly turbid, acidic, and temperature-variable waters.
Over a nine-month program, electrochemical sensor units will be deployed at five representative locations (e.g., open-pit water, tunnel drainage, and points along the Tara River). More than 50 samples will be collected and analyzed using both the sensor system and ICP-MS.
The project will deliver a validated dataset (sensor and ICP-MS), standardized calibration and QA/QC protocols, a statistical validation report, and recommendations for field deployment and replication. Non-sensitive data will be made openly available (FAIR principles).
By bridging laboratory reference methods with in-field monitoring, REACT will enable more timely detection of metal mobilization events, supporting regulatory and remediation decision-making. If successfully validated, these electrochemical sensors could provide a scalable solution for continuous metal tracking at contaminated sites across the region.
