Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part B (2025)

Arsenic contamination of groundwater poses a serious public health threat in many parts of the world, particularly in South and Southeast Asia. Conventional arsenic detection techniques, such as Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), offer high sensitivity but are expensive, laboratory-based, and unsuitable for large-scale field monitoring. The present study reports the development and validation of a low-cost electronic tongue (e-tongue) based on Square Wave Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (SWASV) for rapid detection and quantification of arsenic in drinking water. The first objective was to design and optimize an electrochemical e-tongue system capable of sensitive arsenic detection using a cost-effective potentiostat. The second objective was to validate the analytical performance of the developed system through laboratory and field comparison with AAS. A three-electrode system comprising a gold working electrode, Ag/AgCl reference electrode, and platinum counter electrode was employed. The developed e-tongue demonstrated a linear response to As (III) over the range of 2-250 µg L⁻¹, with a detection limit of ~2 µg L⁻¹. Field validation using groundwater samples from arsenic-affected regions showed strong correlation with AAS results (R² > 0.95) and no significant interference from copper. The system offers rapid analysis (<5 min per sample), high portability, and approximately 90% cost reduction compared to a commercial potentiostat, highlighting its potential for large-scale field deployment and community-level arsenic monitoring.