Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Microfluidic Devices for Glucose Detection

TL;DR

This study compares the environmental impacts of different microfluidic devices for glucose detection at various production scales.

Contribution

The study provides a cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment of three glucose-detection devices at both lab and commercial scales.

Findings

At lab-scale, the paper device had the lowest environmental impact, while the PLA device had the highest.

At commercial-scale, the PLA device performed best when using injection molding, while PDMS performed worst.

Material and energy use were the main contributors to environmental impact, with minimal impact from the use phase.

Abstract

Healthcare must balance safety, efficiency, and effectiveness
with
affordability and accessibility. Microfluidic devices offer low-cost,
portable solutions for point-of-care testing, miniaturizing lab functions
on chips through microchannels for quick diagnostics, retaining resolution
and sensitivity with minimal reagent use. However, their environmental
sustainability is uncertain, with concerns about production scale-up,
risks from disposability, and the impact of alternative raw materials
or manufacturing techniques compared to traditional soft lithography
based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). We conducted a cradle-to-grave
life-cycle assessment (LCA) of three glucose-detection devices, a
PDMS device via soft lithography, a paper device via wax stamping,
and a polylactic acid (PLA) device via 3D printing, for both laboratory-scale
and commercial-scale production. For lab-scale production, the paper
device had the lowest environmental impact across most impact categories,
while the PLA device had the highest. However, for commercial-scale
production, by transitioning from 3D printing to injection molding,
the PLA device performed best overall, while PDMS performed the worst.
For both scales, material and energy use were key contributors, with
minimal impact from the use phase. This study highlights the importance
of considering environmental impacts at multiple scales and shows
the added value of using LCA to guide design and production for early-stage
technologies.

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