A Portable, Single-Use, Paper-Based Microbial Fuel Cell Sensor for Rapid, On-Site Water Quality Monitoring

Abstract

Human access to safe water has become a major problem in many parts of the world as increasing human activities continue to spill contaminants into our water systems. To guarantee the protection of the public as well as the environment, a rapid and sensitive way to detect contaminants is required. In this work, a paper-based microbial fuel cell was developed to act as a portable, single-use, on-site water quality sensor. The sensor was fabricated by combining two layers of paper for a simple, low-cost, and disposable design. To facilitate the use of the sensor for on-site applications, the bacterial cells were pre-inoculated onto the device by air-drying. To eliminate any variations, the voltage generated by the microorganism before and after the air-drying process was measured and calculated as an inhibition ratio. Upon the addition of different formaldehyde concentrations (0%, 0.001%, 0.005%, and 0.02%), the inhibition ratios obtained were 5.9 ± 0.7%, 6.9 ± 0.7%, 8.2 ± 0.6%, and 10.6 ± 0.2%, respectively. The inhibition ratio showed a good linearity with the formaldehyde concentrations at R 2 = 0.931. Our new sensor holds great promise in monitoring water quality as a portable, low-cost, and on-site sensor.

Towards Clean and Safe Water: A Review on the Emerging Role of Imprinted Polymer-Based Electrochemical Sensors

“…The recovery should not be a concern, and one could clearly note development of low-cost disposable electrodes. Probably in this sense, the development of highly selective and sensitive paper electrodes will avoid the problem of contamination by hazardous compounds as they can be disposed of by simple burning [ 142 ].…”

Microbial fuel cells for in-field water quality monitoring

“…85 Biolm xing is key to ensure the stability and portability of the paper MFC sensor. In this regard, several strategies have been proposed, including: biolm drying and rehydration at the point of use, 90,92 storage in the dark at 4 C, 44 and biolm coating with either chitosan, 85 hydrogels 93 or polymers, such as alginate. 94 A paper-based mediated MFC was recently reported, relying on the use of planktonic cells of P. putida KT2440.…”

A review on the application of nanomaterials in improving microbial fuel cells

“…This is ascribed to the fact that these modified electrodes can decrease the costs of MFC-based nanobiosensors. A paper-based water quality biosensor based on MFC's anodic activity was recently introduced for detecting formaldehyde in water (Cho et al, 2019). As shown in Figure 10, in the developed system, two layers of PEDOT:PSS modified paper were used as anode and cathode.…”

“…Moreover, the modified anode could absorb water more quickly, further enhancing microbial growth. Nano-coated electrodes were also more conductive, decreasing the time needed for the MFC to reach a stable voltage for starting the detection process (Cho et al, 2019). Nanotechnology offers extensive possibilities for MFC improvements.…”