Compostable Multisensor System for Agricultural Pollutant Sensing

Herbicides and pesticides are widely used in agriculture, yet many of the substances used are harmful to human health or the environment. Sensing technology can be used to monitor contamination of water bodies or soil. However, traditional electronics systems are too bulky and expensive to be deployed for large area sensing. Moreover, with only ∼20% of electronics waste recycled, there is a danger that use of sensors can contribute to another environmental problem. To overcome this, we have developed printed, compostable sensors, which are sensitive to different common agricultural pollutants. By combining impedance sensors with different sensitive layers, it is possible to not only determine the concentration of pollutant but potentially differentiate between different compounds using advanced data analytical techniques such as principal component analysis. The low environmental footprint makes this a promising approach toward large area agricultural monitoring.