Developing Low-Cost 3D Printed Electrochemical Sensors for 'Citizen Science' Monitoring of Paracetamol in UK Rivers

Developing Low-Cost 3D Printed Electrochemical Sensors for 'Citizen Science' Monitoring of Paracetamol in UK Rivers

Chemistry

Jessica Ward

Charlie Theobald, Professor Julie Macpherson, Dr Joshua Tully, Simon Browning

Pharmaceutical pollution of river water through sewage spills, improper disposal and hospital wastewater discharge is an emerging problem in the UK. In this project, a low-cost, 3D printed electrochemical sensor was used to detect paracetamol (the most used over-the-counter medication in the UK) in river water. To develop an understanding of how the sensor works, the working electrode was imaged using both optical and scanning electron microscopy. The sensor was first trialled in high conductivity salt solutions, before moving on to tap water and river water spiked with 0.1 to 1 mM of paracetamol. Finally, a range of experiments using ferrocenylmethyl trimethylammonium hexafluorophosphate were run to study the reusability of the sensors, and how 3D printed electrodes compare to conventional macroelectrodes. Overall, 3D printed electrochemical sensors have huge potential in the analysis of water quality. These sensors cost less than £5 to produce, compared to typical electrochemical cells which cost approximately £500, and do not require any extensive scientific knowledge to use. In the final part of this project, a written method and accompanying video describing how to use these sensors were made, with the intention to invite local ‘Citizen Scientists’ to test the sensors themselves.

Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Jessica Ward, river water analysis