Low-cost electrochemical detection of arsenic in the groundwater of Guanajuato state, central Mexico using an open-source potentiostat
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Arsenic is a carcinogenic groundwater contaminant that is toxic even at the parts-per-billion (ppb) level and its on-site determination remains challenging. Colorimetric test strips, though cheap and widely used, often fail to give reliable quantitative data. On the other hand, electrochemical detection is sensitive and accurate but considerably more expensive at the onset. Here, we present a study on arsenic detection in groundwater using a low-cost, open-source potentiostat based on Arduino technology. We tested different types of gold electrodes (screen-printed and microwire) with anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV), achieving low detection limits (0.7 μg L-1). In a study of arsenic contaminated groundwaters in Mexico, the microwire technique provides greater accuracy than test strips (reducing the median error from -50% to +2.9%) and greater precision (reducing uncertainties from ±25% to ±4.9%). Most importantly, the rate of false negatives versus the World Health Organisation’s 10 μg L-1 limit was reduced from 50% to 0% (N = 13 samples). Arsenic determination using open-source potentiostats may offer a low-cost option for research groups and NGOs wishing to perform arsenic analysis in-house, yielding superior quantitative data than the more widely used colorimetric test strips.
Date Issued
2022-01-19
Date Acceptance
2021-12-18
Citation
PLoS One, 2022, 17 (1), pp.e0262124-e0262124
ISSN
1932-6203
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Start Page
e0262124
End Page
e0262124
Journal / Book Title
PLoS One
Volume
17
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2022 Bullen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
License URL
Identifier
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0262124
Subjects
General Science & Technology
Publication Status
Published online
Date Publish Online
2022-01-19