3D printed cartridges for the removal of pharmaceuticals from water

The entry of pharmaceuticals into water is a key worldwide concern, with drugs being identified in all near-aqueous ecologies at often worrying concentrations. Pharmaceutical waste in environmental water has been shown to affect environmental equilibrium and pose a risk to humans adversely. In the present study, we fabricated a novel system containing 3D printed sustainable, porous Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) cartridges and RP-HPLC-DAD methodology to remove non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac sodium (DS) and indomethacin (IND) from water samples called "Cartridges." The device was fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM)-mediated 3D printing technology using indigenous hot-melt extruded filaments. To enable FDM 3D printing, the filaments were fabricated using PETG as a primary material and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), AffnisolTM, and Eudragit®EPO as water-soluble pore-forming materials. We showed that the thermoplastic, recyclable PETG composite material, which presents microporous properties after removal of PVA, AffnisolTM, and Eudragit®EPO, is effective for extracting both drugs from water solution. The usefulness of the current strategy was demonstrated by the extraction of DS and IND from an aqueous solution followed by RP-HPLC analysis. The % extraction recovery was more than 80% for both drugs, with an overall relative standard deviation of less than 3%. The proposed approach can bring a ray of hope in extraction and sample preparation in the analytical industry due to a shift to the use of sustainable cartridges with customizable shapes, sizes, and chemical properties.