With an estimated 300 million annual electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings in Europe alone, the clinical demand of single-use silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) electrodes drives resource depletion, carbon emissions and non-recyclable waste generation. As climate change increases health vulnerabilities, healthcare systems must balance rising clinical demand with decarbonization. Substituting conventional electrode materials with conductive nanocellulose presents a critical pathway towards this goal. This study evaluates the environmental performance of a novel nanocellulose-based electrode by quantifying emission reduction potentials across the transition from fossil- and mineral-based to bio-based materials, and from laboratory to industrial scale.

We conducted a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in accordance with ISO 14040/14044 standards, using SimaPro 10.2 and the Ecoinvent 3.11 database, to compare nanocellulose-based electrodes against commercial alternatives. Two nanocellulose fabrication pathways were modeled: 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation and enzymatic reaction, both functionalized with the conductive polymer Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). To ensure a realistic comparison we followed an engineering-based prospective scaling approach to project laboratory data to industrial levels. Material inputs were scaled linearly, while energy consumption was modeled using power-rating equations to simulate industrial efficiency, preventing the overestimation of impacts common in early-stage assessments. Environmental impacts were quantified for one rapid ECG recording using the Environmental Footprint (EF) 3.1 method.

At the industrial scale, both nanocellulose electrodes achieved a 73% reduction in carbon emissions, and an 80% reduction in fossil resources use compared to commercial Ag/AgCl alternatives. Preliminary results indicate that the scaled-up electrodes reduce carbon emissions by 90% compared to laboratory prototypes, primarily due to the prospective optimization of the energy-intensive film drying processes. Scaling reversed the environmental ranking of the two pathways: while TEMPO exhibited 45% lower emissions than the enzymatic route at the laboratory scale, the enzymatic route proved superior at the industrial scale, outperforming TEMPO with 14% lower emissions.

By validating the environmental benefits of bio-based electrodes through an engineering-based prospective LCA, this work positions conductive nanocellulose as a viable material for green bioelectronics, effectively decoupling medical diagnostics from resource depletion and contributing to the decarbonization of the healthcare sector.