IIT Bhubaneswar Develops ArsenSafe Device for Rapid Water Testing

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar have developed the “ArsenSafe,” a portable device which is capable of detecting the arsenic contamination in drinking water without requiring any laboratory facilities. This innovation offers the rapid, affordable and highly sensitive solution to one of the world’s most serious public health challenges. It is developed by the Sensors and Spectroscopy Research Group of IIT Bhubaneswar in collaboration with the startup incubated at the institute, the technology has the potential to improve the access to safe drinking water and specially in rural and resource-constrained regions.

What is ArsenSafe?

ArsenSafe is the compact handheld device which is designed to detect the arsenic contamination directly at the source. Unlike the conventional testing methods that require sophisticated laboratories and chemical-based procedures and this device can be used on-site with minimal training.

The technology has been developed with the support from Nano Semic Pvt Ltd, a startup incubated at the Research and Entrepreneurship Park of IIT Bhubaneswar. The startup is led by the faculty members Sayan Dey and Akshay K.

The portable design of device makes the water testing faster, easier and more accessible for the government agencies, environmental organizations, industries, NGOs and individual users.

Why is Arsenic in Water a Serious Concern?

Arsenic is the toxic, tasteless and odorless metalloid that can contaminate groundwater.

Since it cannot be detected via smell, taste, or appearance, contaminated water often goes unnoticed.

Long-term exposure to arsenic-contaminated water can cause the,

• Arsenicosis
• Skin disorders
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Neurological problems
• Various forms of cancer

There are millions of people worldwide, particularly those dependent on groundwater, remain vulnerable to the arsenic exposure.

How Does the Technology Work?

The device is based on the advanced reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-based sensing platform. Researchers have developed the novel liquid-gated reduced graphene oxide field-effect transistor (rGO-FET) sensor that can identify the extremely low concentrations of arsenic in drinking water.

The technology combines the,

• Nanotechnology
• Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO)
• Graphene Oxide (GO) dielectric layers
• Machine Learning techniques

This combination improves the sensitivity, reliability and efficiency of the water quality monitoring.

What Makes ArsenSafe Special?

ArsenSafe offers the several advantages over the traditional water testing methods.

Key Features

• Portable and field-deployable
• No laboratory infrastructure required
• Cost-effective testing solution
• Rapid detection capability
• Highly sensitive and accurate
• Easy to operate with minimal training
• Suitable for the rural and remote locations

The sensor demonstrated the remarkable performance and recorded the maximum response of 500% at 40 ppm arsenic concentration.

It also showed extremely fast performance with the,

• Response Time: 17.4 seconds
• Recovery Time: 11.76 seconds

Recognition for the Research

The technology has already achieved the high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and it has successfully undergone testing using water samples collected from the IIT Bhubaneswar campus and nearby areas.

This research was recently published in the journal Environmental Science: Nano of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

This journal’s editorial board also selected the study for the its special themed collection on “Nanosensing,” and it highlighting the innovation’s scientific significance and real-world applications.