Electrochemical sensing of paracetamol based on sugarcane bagasse-activated biochar

Agro-industrial waste is an abundant bio-resource that can be used as a feedstock to develop carbon nanomaterials. This research identifies the specific microwave pyrolysis operating conditions to generate activated biochar from sugarcane bagasse (SCB) biomass. The optimal conditions to obtain activated biochar from SCB was by using H2SO4 chemical treatment in a mass ratio 1:1 followed by microwave-assisted pyrolysis at 1.5 kW for 1 hour. The resulting carbon material attained a 278 m2/g BET surface area and a relatively pure carbon structure with a minor concentration of oxygen and silicon. The activated biochar was used to develop an electrochemical sensor using the drop-casting method. The SCB-activated biochar electrochemical sensor achieved significant electrocatalytic properties to detect paracetamol, showing 71% less charge transfer resistance in EIS and 96% higher electrocatalytic properties than the bare electrode based on CV curves. The linear range of paracetamol current responses demonstrated a considerable sensitivity with a 2.5 mu M limit of detection. The modified GCE indicates a promising performance in paracetamol detection in a real sample.